What comes first? The chicken or the egg?

What comes first? The chicken or the egg?
It is an age old question, but for us at The Bergs and the Bees, the answer is simple; the chicken!
Everyone loves our eggs, and they are a tremendous benefit; but they are not the reason we keep chickens.
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Our hens play a vital role in building our compost bank, which is the foundation for everything we grow. Chickens are incredible composting assists. Kitchen scraps, yard waste, animal bedding , garden waste, and other natural byproducts never go to waste on our farm, they go to our hens! When piled near the coop, our chickens eagerly break down these materials and eventually turn what would have been heavy landfill discarded into nutrient rich compost. We use this to replace the nutrients our crops take out of our raised beds, fields and orchards. It is a beautiful, closed loop system where nothing is wasted and everyone benefits.

We choose to farm with regenerative practices and work with nature rather than against it. Instead of confining our hens, we allow them to be free range. They frolic the farm at their own free will, foraging on diverse plants, insects, and even small rodents! Chickens are omnivores and benefit greatly from allowing them forage vs eating only standard chicken food from a big box store. This not only supports their natural behaviors and well being, but it directly impacts the quality of eggs they lay.
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The difference is something you can see and taste! Eggs from free ranged hens have firmer whites, rich golden yolks, stronger shells, and a lovely flavor. These eggs are more nutritious because the hens themselves are healthier, more active, and living happy lives the way they were meant to.

As our hens age, egg production decreases and they may naturally stop laying eggs. For many farms that would also be the end of her life. On our farm, any lady who has survived to egg-o-pause is a wise bird, and deserves to remain in the flock to pass on her experiences to younger hens. They continue to free range, dust bath in the sun, and continue to contribute to the farm in other meaningful ways. They live out their lives here just have they always have, with love and respect.