Fact: Eggs from chickens raised on pasture contain more vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids. Don't believe me? A study performed at Cambridge University showed that eggs from hens raised on pasture had considerable nutritional advantages over eggs from hens raised in confinement and fed commercial feed without access to pasture.
"Compared to eggs of the caged hens, pastured hens' eggs had twice as much vitamin E and long-chain omega-3 fats, 2.5-fold more total omega-3 fatty acids."
The folks over at Mother Earth News also found similarly compelling results in a study of their own. They compared pasture raised eggs to store bought eggs (that are fed only processed commercial feed) and found that pasture raised eggs had 1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acid, 3 times more vitamin E, 4 to 6 times more vitamin D, and 7 times more beta carotene. With numbers like that it is pretty safe to say that the jury is in when it comes to the nutritional content and health benefits of eggs from pastured hens compared to eggs from commercially fed hens, or worse yet, store bought eggs.
About Our Pasture
Last spring we moved the chickens to a new coop, and we fenced off about a 60' by 60' pasture area. The idea was to be able to supplement the chickens' diet by allowing them to graze a large area. This would save us from having to build chicken tractors (portable chicken pens) and move them around the yard all the time. It quickly became apparent that we would need to implement some sort of rotational grazing system to prevent the chickens from scratching their favorite foraging areas to the point that there was nothing left but bare dirt.
All chicken pastures are not created equally so we decided to examine the strengths and weaknesses of ours. Our pasture is mostly grass - to be specific it is mostly crested wheatgrass with some sparse patches of cheatgrass and smooth brome - all non-native species and not a source of complete chicken nutrition. There is also some creeping jenny and other "weeds", which the chickens appear to enjoy. Chickens do not readily digest grass like cows and other grazing mammals, so while our chickens get some nutritional supplement from our pasture, there is a lot of room for improvement.
In order to improve our chicken pasture we decided to make a few changes for 2013. First, we are in the process of installing fencing to divide the pasture into 3 separate paddocks (small pastures). We planted a couple crab apple trees in one paddock, a patch of Nanking cherries in another, and a few juniper trees in the last one. These will supply food when in season and shade year round. Then we will plant a wildflower mix containing 20 species of wildflowers native to the Great Plains along with a mix of clover, millet, flax (high in omega-3's), and a smattering or native grasses including side oats gramma, little bluestem, and buffalograss. If these seeds germinate and grow, they will be a nice complement to the existing grass species and result in a more complete diet for the chickens. When our improvements are complete I hope to post some pictures of our set up so you can see just where and how the eggs you're eating are produced.
The Eggs are What the Chickens Eat
One thing we've learned over the years is that the quality of the eggs is a direct result of what the chickens eat. During winter we found that adding alfalfa and leftover lettuce scraps from local restaurants (Thanks La Minestra!) to their feed makes the yolks a brighter shade of orange. Adding crushed oyster shells results in harder, stronger shells. On the other hand, too much of a good thing can result in some funky tasting eggs, such as having too much flax in their diet. Too much wheat causes the hens to produce fewer eggs. The overall lesson is that chickens need diversity in their diet, and the commercial feeds sold at the store don't supply it. The eggs from chickens fed processed commercial feed have pale yellow yolks, not the bright orange you expect when you buy farm fresh eggs. They lack the rich flavor and thick consistency. So we don't give them that stuff. We figure its a lot like feeding McDonald's cheeseburgers to your chickens. Enough said. We also feed them a diet of whole grains such as corn, oats, wheat, and millet because grazing alone doesn't fulfill all their dietary needs. We add a little soybean meal for protein, fish meal for protein and vitamins, and oyster shells for calcium. This results in rich, bright orange yolks, sturdy whites, and strong shells. We are always looking to improve our chicken feed, and if you ever have any suggestions we would be happy to hear them. We hope you enjoy eating the eggs as much as we do!
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