How to Raise Organic Chicken Eggs

Raise organic chickens and eggs to improve your health.

Almost any food is available in an organic variety, and eggs are one of the most common organic products. Organic foods rely on all-natural growing, treatment and harvesting methods. For organic chicken eggs, this means organic hens lay the eggs. Organic chickens receive organic feeds, free of synthetic ingredients intended to enhance growth and receive organic treatments for internal and external parasites.

Things You'll Need

• Organic-grown corn and grains
• Probiotics
• Diary products
• Diatomaceous earth
• Shovel
• Grit
• Buttermilk
• Oyster shell supplement

Instructions

1. Start hatchling chicks on an organic diet on their second day of life. This ensures that you grow completely organic chickens that later produce fully organic eggs. You may prepare an organic diet for the chicks immediately after hatching, though most will refuse to eat until the second day.

2. Continue to feed the chickens organic feeds throughout their lives. If you cannot locate organic feeds through local feed stores, you can make your own or feed them organically raised grains and corn from your own farm or garden.

3. Treat chickens with natural remedies or other organic compounds to get rid of parasites living both on and inside the chicken's body. Using chemical pesticides and medications during the chicken's life, especially when a hen reaches laying age, voids the organic nature of the chicken eggs. Some remedies used by organic chicken and egg farmers include probiotics, dairy products and diatomaceous earth, though no scientific data supports the success of these products.

4. Keep the coop area clean to prevent parasites and diseases caused by and attracted to chicken droppings. Shovel and remove piles of droppings regularly--once or twice a month--to prevent health problems in the adult chickens that might transfer to both the unfertilized and fertilized eggs.

5. Supplement the chicken's diet with organic vitamins instead of synthetic dietary supplements. Organic supplements commonly used to treat chickens include grit that helps to improve digestion and buttermilk used to treat worms.

6. Give laying hens oyster shell supplement only after laying begins. Oyster shell supplements help make eggshells stronger but will cause egg-binding problems if administered too early.

References

• Organic Gardening and Homesteading: Raising the Organic Chicken
• Countryfarm Lifestyles: All About Raising Organic, Backyard Chickens
• Colorado State University Denver Extension: Raising Backyard Chickens
• National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service: Parasite Management for Natural and Organic Poultry
• Country Farm Lifestyles: Remedies for Health Problems of the Organic Laying Flock

Resources

• Organic Chickens: Mixing Your Own Organic Chicken Feed Recipe