Backyard chicken flocks have become an increasingly popular choice for many American families. From a few hens housed in a simple coop, a family could have fresh, ethical, sustainable egg production. The benefits of raising your own egg producing hens are many. Firstly, backyard hens are very efficient at consuming food waste as a part of their diet. Rather than throw away leftovers and food prep scraps, hens are happy to turn them into fresh eggs. Also, hens raised in a backyard setting will undoubtedly have a greater quality of life than commercially raised caged hens.
The question we are asking is as follows: How do different housing arrangements and diets change the nutritional content of the eggs produced by hens, if at all? Research has been done in this field, but not extensively in a "backyard flock" type setting. It can be said that backyard flocks are more ethical and efficient than commercially raised eggs, but are they more healthy as well?
We have establish two different flocks. One with a stationary coop, without access to grass, and one with a mobile coop which models a "free range" lifestyle that some people may provide for their backyard flock. Both flocks have equal access to both chicken feed and food scraps. Analysis is being performed on egg white content, egg yolk content, and egg shell thickness in addition to the mass of each egg.
