Please help me find research about backyard eggs

The decision to allow backyard chickens in my county is going to be decided in the next week. I was hoping anyone might know of a good quality study that can prove that home-grown eggs are healthier than store-bought, mass-produced eggs.

hopefully there is a real study out there somewhere. i was looking on JSTOR, no luck, maybe just need better search terms? now i am looking at various state ag university websites.

i thought maybe someone might know of a good one? I only have a few days to send the information and speak about it at the next meeting!
Thank you! I will ask at homesteading today too.

-Tent

I've only had time to do a quick search, but most of the info out there seems to be fairly un-scientific home comparisons posted on somebody's blog which may be completely legitimate, but they are hard to point to when trying to convince bureaucratic types.

I did find this Mother Earth News article which points to a USDA study, which government types will have a hard time discounting:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/Tests-Reveal-Healthier-Eggs.aspx#axzz2MJAi0XTm

Hope that helps!

There are news articles up here in concord nh about how it was just permitted last year.

Here are the conditions:
The law will be reviewed in three years to consider any complaints that may arise
Each household is allowed six hens per acre
Roosters are not allowed
Coop must be 20(?) yards from neighbors property
Slaughtering on site is not allowed

Best of luck to you!

Most state ag dept. won't have the info you need as they are more dedicated to commercial ag operation studies and they pretty much do all they can to prove how backyard flocks are disease vectors that are a biosecurity issue for the real issue of mass food production.

When it comes down to it, scientific studies are done with the aid of grants...and the commercial ag boys provide more money for research grants, so you won't find many accredited studies done on the health benefits of home grown eggs vs. battery eggs anytime soon.

Try looking at this site:
www.thecitychicken.com

They have lots of good info on raising urban chickens, laws in different locales, and suggestions for lobbying for local laws.

Hope that helps.