Here on the farm we have many breeds of laying hens whom we affectionately call "the girlfriends". They provide us with endless hours of enjoyment watching them at work and play. And the farm fresh eggs are worth the effort. The chickens are lucky enough to be free range most of the time. This allows them to produce eggs that have 7 times more Beta Carotene, 4 - 6 times more Vitamin D, 2/3 more Vitamin A, 3 times more Vitamin E and at least 2 times more Omega-3s than factory farm eggs. They also have 1/3 less colesterol and 1/4 less saturated fat. Details of this research can be found at www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.

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All the chickens serve many purposes on the farm, including bug and fly control, especially in the gardens and barnyard. They are also excellent little garden tillers and help to get the vegetable garden ready for spring  planting. This allows for little or no tilling as we use the Ruth Stout method of gardening ~ layering with old hay/compost over and over until it becomes the soil, and then layering it some more.

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Having chickens can be a family project and kids especially love the

"chicken chores" and gathering eggs.