Pastured Poultry - Eggmobiles

Eggmobiles

As part of their pastured poultry process, some farmers use a mobile house that houses egg laying hens. This is called an eggmobile. Popularized by Joel Salatin, this model has been adapted across the United States. The concept is to allow chickens to move two to three days behind cows, which are rotationally grazing. The chickens scratch through cow manure, harvesting their own larvae and insects, spreading out manure and helping to reduce the fly population on the cows. The eggmobile contains nesting boxes that the hens use to lay eggs. The nesting boxes can be made of many materials, such as this design at Nature's Harmony Farm in Georgia which uses milk crates.

The foraging helps the hens to produce eggs with an "orangish" yolk and a thicker albumen. This is owed to the beta carotene that the grass provides to the eggs. A test done by Mother Earth News revealed that eggs laid by hens foraging on pasture have shown:

• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene