The nutritional value of free-range eggs makes this
challenge a worthwhile endeavor for the homesteader wanting to produce
higher quality eggs for a healthier diet. Recently, Mother Earth
News did an egg study comparing free-range eggs to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs. The
findings showed that free-range chicken eggs produced the following
results:
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta-carotene
Besides the obvious nutritional benefits, free-range
eggs simply taste better! The most likely cause of the differences
between free-range eggs and those from caged, commercial-production hens
is the diet the hens consume every day. Basically, you are what you
eat. After all, the free-range chicken’s diet is all natural and
varied, while the caged hen eats only what is placed in front of her.
Free-range hens are also usually healthier than their cousins kept in
crowded cages in commercial poultry houses and even those kept in backyard runs. The feeds given to
commercial hens are the cheapest possible mixture of corn, soy, and/or
cottonseed meals, with many types of additives mixed in. These
additives often include growth hormones, meat and bone meals, as well as
antibiotics and chemicals, like arsenic, to keep the chickens awake longer
and producing more. The commercial chicken has a much shorter
lifespan due to stress, illness and general disease than does a free-range
hen—unless, of course, the free-range hen falls prey to a natural
predator.
Free-range chickens are also a wonderful source of entertainment on warm
summer days. A single insect can cause mass hysteria among a flock
of free-range chickens. Where one goes, they all go at a run and a
massive chase scene can ensue over one juicy bug. They can also
perform amazing duck and cover routines if something so much as an
airplane shadow should appear overhead. You will learn just what a
free-range chicken will eat, and you will also become adept at
construction of chicken barricades to protect everything that you don’t
want them to destroy—such as your garden—while they are in one of
their feeding-frenzies.
What it all boils down to is if you're willing to allow your hens health and happiness be the priority over control in a small environment. While I do not have anything against anyone who keeps chickens in runs and coops alone, I do stand by the fact that their counterparts who free range live healthier and happier lives. Free-range chickens are definitely worth the
effort needed to take care of them, as the fresh eggs and meat are by far
the best that you can obtain anywhere.
