Which Came First?

 Have you been to the store lately and seen the price of eggs?  OMG!  If you don't have chickens, maybe it is something you might consider.  Backyard chickens are a hobby or maybe a necessity for many rural, urban, and suburban families.  Since the pandemic which created lockdowns, and shortages, and had more and more people eating from home, backyard chicken raising has exploded in popularity.  There aren't really firm statistics on backyard chicken farmers, but estimates by the USDA come in around 5% of American households raising chicks for eggs, pets, or meat.  

In a study by United Egg producers, they point to the increase in egg consumption as being another reason for increased backyard chickens.  In fact, the consumption of Americans has increased by 15% in the last 20 years!

We have been raising chickens for about 25 years.  In fact,


when we moved from Colorado to Missouri, we moved our chickens with us.  We have never sold our eggs, but rather have given them to friends and family, who in turn, do similar favors for us.  Last year, we had been giving our neighbors eggs as we had extras.  In turn, they provided valuable horse manure for our garden....and they even delivered it!

We have never eaten our chickens, but I guess I am not totally opposed to it.  Our plan for the future is if we end up with any roosters, they will become dinner, but our hens will provide us with eggs only. Right now, we have a mixed bag.  We hatched some eggs last year and they all turned out to be roosters.  Two are gone and we still have two.  One is a bantam.  One is his son.  We have three bantam hens (one is retired), three regular-sized hens, a fuzzy chicken we call Big Bird who we think is a rooster, five regular-sized, teenagers (not old enough to lay) and one guinea hen.  

We eat a fair amount of eggs.  They are a great protein source and we use them for breakfast main course, in a salad, or when we bake.  But that is a lot of eggshells.  

Eggshells are rich in calcium carbonate.  Just like calcium is good for strong bones, it helps to strengthen a plant's roots.  But how do you get all that good stuff into your plants?

I'm sure that there are all kinds of ways and opinions on how to do this, but here is what I do:

I save my eggshells.  You know those favorite gallon ice cream buckets I use for everything?  Well I use that for egg shells too.  Every time I break an egg, I stick the shells in the bucket and put the lid on.  (They can get a little stinky)  When the bucket gets full, I grind the shells up with my little Ninja food chopper.  You can grind them as fine as you like.  I don't quite grind my into a powder, more like oatmeal size.  

I put them into quart jars and when they are full, just put any lid on them.  You don't have to worry about using brand-new lids since you are not really canning the shells.  After I have done all of the shells, I put the jars in my 250 degree oven for about 20 minutes or so.  

Don't be surprised if you hear the lids pop like you would if you were canning veggies.  It just means that it has drawn a bit of a vacuum.  The heat just helps get rid of bacteria and odor.  I store my shells in the basement with my canned goods.  In the spring, I use them on my tomatoes when I first plant them.  

You want to plant tomatoes in a hole that is larger than the pot the seedling is growing in.  This is true if you buy a plant or plant a seedling that you started from seed.  Sprinkle a half cup or so of the shells into the bottom of the hole.  Place your plant and soil above it and water well.  Your tomatoes will be stronger, healthier and produce fewer tomatoes with blossom rot.  

If you haven't given any thought to raising chickens, now is a good time to start your plan.  That way by Spring you will be ready to welcome little fuzzy chicks to your home!