The almighty egg

Most people know I have a few chickens in my backyard, and sell a few eggs to my neighbors.

It never seemed like much of a big deal to me until recently egg prices shot up. We've all heard the nursery rhyme of the goose that laid the golden egg, but I never thought I would see the day when a dozen eggs cost more than a gallon of milk.

My little backyard flock has become very popular and that makes me happy.

I usually consume six eggs a week unless I'm baking a lot, which I do once a month or so.

The demand for eggs has grown exponentially in the past few months. According to national news sources, whom we all trust so explicitly, the bird flu epidemic caused a loss of 58 million birds and led to a 30% drop in the U.S. egg pool. While I have no doubt the bird flu is actually in the country and required the mass exodus of over 50 million birds, I do question the huge rise in demand.

Sometimes the fact that an item is in short supply creates even more demand.

Naturally, prices go up because of the demand. Feed went up as well, due to the cost of corn and soybeans. Corn and soybeans went up due to the rise in fuel prices. And it goes on and on and on.

As prices increase, other producers see an opportunity for profit and enter the market, increasing supply in response to the sudden egg shortage and rising egg prices.

My prices haven't changed. I can still feed the girls a quality crumble mix, keep myself supplied with eggs and help out the neighbors a little.

Eggs have been a topic of conversation for as long as I can remember. I get a lot of questions about chickens and eggs from people that have never raised them. The one that cracks me up (pun intended) is how do you get eggs without a rooster? I know, I shouldn't laugh, but it's funny when you really think about it. For me roosters aren't of any use to keep my flock happy.

My chickens have free range of a huge yard, lots of food scraps, bugs, worms, the occasional mouse and all kinds of plants and bushes in the yard. In the fall, they have access to the garden. They quite efficiently clean up all the old plants and cultivate the soil.

One of my favorite past times after a good rain is to go out and dig in the yard, just turn over a shovel full of dirt and watch the girls go after the bugs, worms and other goodies they recognize. With heads down and the funny little noises they make, dirt flying in all directions–it's a kick to watch how much they enjoy this game. Of course, the result of all this fun is a delicious, bright orange yolked eggs that taste as rich as it looks.

But, back to the egg.

As a kid, I remember all the controversy that surrounded eggs. They were "one of those foods", once a week or so you would read comments from an expert supporting the notion that eggs were a health food. A perfect food. The next week a critic would claim eggs raise cholesterol and should be consumed carefully, if at all. Numerous conflicting opinions could leave the consumer scratching their head wondering what to believe.

Fear of eggs began in the 1960s, when doctors started to understand cholesterol better and it's link to heart disease. People were told to limit their intake of cholesterol to 300mg or less. Since the average egg contains 213mg of cholesterol, that amounted to two-thirds of the recommended daily dietary allowance. Eggs became Public Enemy No. 1.

Eating egg whites and egg substitutes became very popular.

As the years have gone by, more research has shown that the cholesterol we eat has little effect on the cholesterol levels in the blood. It all has something to do with the liver producing seventy five percent of the body's cholesterol. Yes, our bodies make it's own cholesterol. By decreasing cholesterol intake, the body increases the production of it.

In the end, it's been determined that eating one egg a day, on average, can actually be good for our health–especially given the egg's excellent nutritional value. Eggs are the highest quality protein of any food and are only 75 calories with 5 grams of fat. It's amazing what that little white orb in the refrigerator carries inside the shell. The nutrients in the yolk have also been found to help with proper brain function and eye health.

However, not all eggs are created equal. Eggs that come from happy little chickens in a backyard pecking at natural stuff on the ground, eating good food and drinking clean water are obviously going to be a little more nutritious than eggs that have been sitting in cold storage for six weeks.

Unfortunately, the so called free-range chickens–that are commercially-raised, are not raised outdoors and don't forage freely. They can be called free-range as long as they aren't confined to one single cage.

The eggs, even organic ones, are cleaned using chemical baths to disinfect them. Egg shells are porous, so there's that.

I have been getting a lot of questions about raising chickens lately.

Should you get chickens for a backyard flock of egg layers?

Before you flock (pun intended) to your local feed store or online chick producer, please consider these 10 fun facts.

1. Hens don't start laying until they're about 5 months old. Their first eggs are little, pullet eggs, but it doesn't take long for them to attain a normal size.

2. Baby chicks can't tolerate cold, because they don't have fully grown feathers. Keep their home around 95 degrees to start and very gradually over 8 weeks, you can drop the temperature. They'll grow their own insulation (feathers) after about 8 weeks. Chicks can freeze to death, but they can also be overheated and die.

3. Chickens must have water. In extreme heat or cold they need it even more. Baby chicks can't last a day without water. This means trudging out in the cold to check the water and replenish it. Even with a heated waterer, the water has to be kept clean for healthy chickens. Baby chicks need special waterers and feeders until they get the hang of things. A bucket or deep bowl is not a good idea since chickens roost on everything and will either spill it or fall in it.

4. Chickens molt–lose feathers and turning into skinny looking ugly little critters. They stop laying eggs, sometimes for a couple months and when the do start again, it won't be as much as before. Some chickens are crossbred/hybrid to make them prolific egg layers, but this is hard on them.

5. Chickens don't lay as much in winter months, needing their energy to stay warm. Keeping a light in the coop all the time isn't a good idea, they need to sleep and rest. Use a timer to keep their exposure to light to 15 hours a day. Egg laying requires more nutritional feed for your hens, you can supplement with some veggies and they will be happy campers.

Feed for chicks and full grown hens has gone up to about $20 per bag. Each chicken eats about 1.5 pounds of food per week so a 40 pound bag of layer feed will feed 10 chickens for about two weeks. Chicks consume about the same. Chickens will eat when they need it and should go to bed with a full crop (where food is stored for 12 hours). Think of it this way. Chickens eat fast out of instinct. They are prey so they "eat and run" literally.

6. Chickens poop everywhere. They peck at everything including insulation, plastic and your hand. They also dig holes for dust baths.

Their beak has sensory receptors and glands like your fingertips. Chickens won't peck at each other if they're happy, but they'll peck you in defense. Trimming beaks is a cruel practice.

7. Chickens get sick, so you have to pay attention to them and what they're doing and how they look.

8. Chickens can live up to 10 years. They need shelter from heat, wind, cold and rain.

Just food for thought if you are considering raising your own flock. There is lost of information available online as well as at your local library.

Some towns have restrictions on raising animals within town limits, you should check your local municipal codes before starting your own flock.