Finally, Some Time To Write

I never thought we would get all of the work done for the greenhouse and chicken house. We decided to add chickens to our homestead, and it's already paying off. We've had the chickens for a week, and we've gotten 12 eggs already. I have to tell you getting hens for eggs is a great way to save money. We recycled some old gates and building supplies we had in our shed to make a chicken house, and then we found some chickens for sale in our area on Craigslist. We paid $5 each for 2 year old chickens. We bought 6 chicks, and they are around 6 weeks old. The chicks will start laying at about 5 months old. When they start laying, we should average about 50 eggs a week. We are going to start selling eggs from our home. We figure that it should bring in at least $30 or $40 a month. I know it doesn't seem like a lot of money, but when you don't have a lot of money, it helps. They don't require a lot of money to feed. We feed ours laying crumbles, crushed egg shells, pea mash (1 can sweet peas - drained, 1 cup milk and 1 1/2 cups instant oatmeal mixed together - store in the refrigerator), salad greens, grass, and table scraps that are light on salt. They can eat meat, but don't feed them potato peelings, avacados or dried beans.  The best part about having chickens is that you have as many eggs as you want to eat, and they taste so much better. I never realized how different fresh eggs taste. Eggs from the supermarket can be as old as 3 months old when you eat them. Fresh eggs have a dark yellow colored yolk, and a rich taste. They are more healthy, and have a lower amount of cholesterol than the one's from the grocery store.