A very common question is why would you want to raise chickens when it is so easy to just buy my eggs at the market? There is a variety of reasons for raising chickens and in this section we will address several of those different topics. For some owners it is simply enjoyable and eggs are a wonderful benefit, others find chickens keep the bugs down around their home. Each reason is unique to every owner.
The health benefits of an egg a day as a part of a healthy balanced diet has encouraged major growth in home chicken ownership. Eggs are a nutrient rich edible loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin D, six grams of protein and good cholesterols. This hardiness of a protein rich egg has also been found to sustain energy further into a day and curb apatite. Eggs yokes are also high lutein, a carotenoid commonly found in carrots. Beta-carotene is another form of carotenoid also most commonly found in fruits and vegetables. Lutein has been proven to improve eye health and a key chemical when treating muscular degenerative which is the leading cause of blindness for people over 55 years old and affects more than 10 million Americans. Biochemist Research at Tufts University point out while eggs have less lutein than leafy vegetables like broccoli and spinach, the human body actually absorbs lutein better when associated to a protein calorie rather than sugar calorie during digestion.
Other benefits of owning chickens includes; natural soil aeration, bug control and organic fertilizer. As free range chickens forage for food they implement a strategy called scratching stir up soil and ultimately spot buts scurrying away. Aeration is good for your soil because it keeps the top layer loose to accept water and fertilizers. During this process of scratching chickens consume larger numbers of bugs ranging from worms and flies to grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and moths. Finally, chicken droppings are very nitrogen rich and make a potent organic fertilizer. Mixing chicken droppings into your compost pile with other bio-degradable items like grasses and leaves creates a nutrient dense that replenishes natural plant food while enhancing nitrogen contents.
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