How important is it to provide new grass for your chickens?
by Pat on 08/20/16
It is important to always let your chickens graze in new grass - especially laying hens.
Free-range eggs have a higher value. They supply better nutrition, and the hens themselves are healthier
than the birds caged and fed a steady commercial diet.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has compiled nutrient data, comparing commercial eggs and
free-range 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, most people find that free-range eggs simply taste better than the not-so-free-range eggs!
This is why we put effort into creating our "EASILY MOVED TO NEW GRASS TOW-ROPE SET."
All of our coops are moveable. Towing is better than lifting! Our experience shows that how often one moves
a coop to new grass depends on how easy it is to move! Wheels work fine in the beginning (on flat, dry ground)
but very soon get stuck, go flat, or bog down on anything possible (leaves, sticks, rocks, mud, cracks, crevices, old shoes...) .
Most leave a gap between the base of the coop and the ground - creating the risk of predator intrusion.
We find our Tow-Rope Set to be quite sufficient. It includes a rope with a comfortable handle, and on newly made coops we add
a skid-like corner on the other end of the coop - so that even my wife, Jennifer, can easily tow the coop to new grass
whenever she likes! ( Jennifer has problems with both of her knees...)
This is important for your back yard, too. If you frequently move your coop to a new spot, it helps the grass grow back
sooner on the old spot.
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