Have you seen the egg aisle of the grocery store lately? Wowza, there are a lot of different choices for eggs. And in case you have decided being a backyard chicken farmer just isn’t for you, here’s a quick overview of all of your egg choices–each of them appear to be clearly labeled on the egg cartons:
Omega 3 Enhanced Eggs: These come from chickens whose food has been enhanced with Omega 3 enriched supplements {think flax seeds, flax oil, walnuts, etc.}. The resulting eggs have a higher amount of Omega 3 fatty acids {you know, the ones they say we don’t get enough of}. They also have a higher amount of cholesterol, so if that is a concern for you, be aware.
Humanely Raised: These eggs are from hens that have been humanely raised, as opposed to conventional eggs where the hens are kept in tiny pens. The carton should have a certified human label. The chickens may or may not have access to the outdoors. There are some regulations on this label that limit the density of the birds in their barn/warehouse. They must also be allowed enough space to “perform natural behaviors”.
Organic: Organic eggs {certified organic, at least} come from chickens that have not been given antibiotics, hormones, and their food has not been exposed to pesticides. The thing to remember with these is that “organic” does not necessarily mean the chickens have a nice happy life–the chickens must be cafe free with some outdoor access, but federal regulations does not define that amount. Conditions for the chickens can be awesome–or not. It just depends on the producer.
Free Range: Chickens are not in cages, and might roam freely for part of the day, but there are no regulations whatsoever on this label, so it is hard to say whether you are flushing extra money down the toilet. Also, there are no restrictions on the birds’ diets.
Cage free: This one is similar to free range, but chickens do not have to have access to the outdoors. Conditions can be a bit abysmal for the chickens and still get this label.
Animal Welfare Approved: This label is much harder to find. It is for independent family farmers with up to 500 chickens. The chickens are free to spend unlimited time outside on pesticide-free pasture. The chickens cannot have their beaks cut {ALL of the previous labels can and typically do cut the chickens beaks}. The best place to find these is to contact your local farmer’s market and/or go out to the farm to check out the conditions.
What kind of eggs do YOU buy? How do you feel about how the chickens are treated? Do you wish the better options weren’t so dang expensive?
Feel free to “lay” your comments out below,
Mavis
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Krys says
Straight from a friends chickens, so I know exactly how they are being treated and what they are being fed. 🙂
Melissa W. says
That is why we have our own flock … no confusion as to what kind of living conditons the chickens have 🙂
crlzmmr says
On one of your long ago posts,
you mentioned something about never again wanting bantam chickens.
(I don’t remember what breed you were talking about)
Have you ever have Sebright Bantams ?
In a recipe, how many bantam eggs would you use to equal a normal sized egg ?
Sue in NC says
I’m not Mavis, but you can weigh the eggs or measure them by volume. Google “egg size equivalents”. I’d give a link but I’m not sure the message would go through.
I raised Golden Sebright bantams (among others) when I was a teenager. Such interesting characters, and so beautiful. I got a Golden Laced Wyandotte for my current flock because the coloring reminded me of the Sebrights, and then later read that the Golden Laced Wyandotte was bred to resemble the coloring of the Sebright! : >
crlzmmr says
Thank you.
I will do that Google search you mentioned.
Sebrights just look so cute (and beautiful)
I am more and more tempted to get some.
Elizabeth says
I’m not Mavis either 🙂 but I hope you don’t mind my weighing in.
My biggest fear with bantams is their vulnerability to hawks. Hawks typically can’t pick up a full-size chicken – although they have tried to get mine. Bantams, on the other hand, are no problem for them. If your run is fully enclosed – you are good to go. Bantams are awfully cute.
crlzmmr says
Thank you for reminding me about hawks!
saralie says
I choose… my farm fresh eggs, from my backyard. I know what they eat or don’t eat. The shells are much stronger and the yolk much darker!
Kristin says
I have some dreams of owning chickens, but they’re not allowed in my town. Until they are, I’ll keep buying my eggs from a local farm. The chickens are fed only organic feed and get to wander around certified organic pasture, pecking at bugs. I know exactly how they’re treated because I see them every time I pull in the farm’s driveway. The eggs aren’t cheap – $5 a dozen – but the money is well worth it to me because it’s going to a sustainably-minded local business in my own community. I have no qualms about paying more to support a local producer instead of a soulless corporation!
Pat Giaquinta says
We have had a flock of chickens for 4+ years now and I will never go back to buying my eggs. I love my girls & they are free range on land that doesn’t have any chemicals on it. They are well-fed and they have a large coop with ample nesting boxes. We just rototilled our garden and the girls are cleaning out the mealyworms, slugs and bugs this afternoon ~ they’re so happy. None of our close relatives have bought eggs for 4 years, either. Everyone benefits from our happy girls.
Melissa says
We were buying organic eggs from Costco until I read the Omnivore’s Dilemma and realized that the organic label really didn’t mean anything as far as humane treatment. The chickens were likely not being treated very well. Starting in May, we’ll be buying all of our eggs straight from the farmer. We even toured the farm to see the conditions. Best of all, they’ll only cost .25 more a dozen!
Michele Mercer says
Wish we had access to farm fresh eggs. We used to have chickens and those were the best tasting eggs. I buy whatever is cheapest at the store. My heart is too big and the thought of how animals were/are treated before they give their lives for our dinner plates, I would become vegan. Yes, turning a blind eye doesn’t help. Buying cheap doesn’t send a message to people to treat animals better. I do what I can and help where I can but the economy and my recent layoff tie my hands on what we can afford to spend. VERY happy I decided to put in a much larger garden than originally planned…we need the extra food now.
Anke says
I am so glad I am able to keep our own chickens in the backyard. The eggs are sooo much better and they are great entertainment, fertilizer and left-over- eaters. Right now we have also a hen with 5 chicks, which makes it even more fun. Now we are just hoping that most of the chicks are hens … 🙂
I can just encourage everyone to have back yard chickens, they are really much less work than you think. And your friends will love to take care of them, when you are on vacation… getting free eggs as a reward!
Elaine S says
We eat whatever our gang of girls lay 🙂
Jen L A says
Just got chickens! Loving the fresh eggs – especially after reading articles like this! Not to mention how much fun my toddlers have throwing them some vegi scraps!! Now the only question is what to give the chickens, and what to save for compost!?! I guess I want my cake and to eat it too!! 🙂 Thanks Mavis!
Katie C. says
Until we can have our own flock, we’re going to begin buying them from a family that sells them. I absolutely prefer to have an animal treated with kindness.
Cate says
I’m lucky to live next door to my sister, who has 16 happy chickens who play outside all day and gets lots of love from my sis and her kids. The chickens provide plenty of eggs for my sister’s family and for us. It’s awesome!
Brooke Ross says
We only eat our “ladies” eggs! I brought home 4 chicks just over 4 years ago, and we only enjoy their eggs. We know they are happy and free and also what they eat
Maia says
I’ve never heard of the Animal Welfare Approved one before. Maybe if we had that one around here I wouldn’t have gotten chickens, but they’ve been decent pets. They lay eggs and that’s more then we’ve gotten from the dog!
Kim H. says
Ha! Ha! Ha! All I really need to know is when they expire. We don’t eat that many eggs – mostly for baked goods. (Seriously, my grandparents had an ‘egg farm’ with thousands of chickens when I was small. )
suzanne says
Made the mistake of watching vegucated. Not eating meat again. Not sure if I want to deal with my own flock either when I see how heart breaking it is to lose one.
Tracey says
We LOVE eggs and eat at least 2 dozen a week. I am constantly trying to figure out the best option since we can’t have chickens in our current neighborhood. I am willing to pay up to $3-4 a dozen but have found to get really good local eggs people want $7-8. Most weeks I buy commercial eggs that are local to our state and are labeled cage free for $2.69.
Cheryl says
I’m not able to have chickens where we live but I do have a friend who has chickens and she does sell them. I believe hers are all brown eggs. What is a fair price to pay?
suzi says
I am not an egg eater but I cook with eggs. Meaning I do not like a scrambled egg, boiled egg, fried egg, but I do cook with them in cakes, quiche, cookies, breads, as an ingredient. Usually a dozen will go bad before I finish it. A lady at work does not eat meat, she only eats dairy and eggs and likes to buy local eggs but complains about the price. So my question is, why are egg from a local farmer so expensive? I see people will pay $4 – $5 a dozen. Is it because people will buy it because they want fresh local eggs so farmers can charge that amount? Does it cost that much to raise the chickens? I am really not being sarcastic or anything, I just really wonder why fresh local eggs cost so much. (even grocery store store brand eggs are becoming pricy)
Anne F. says
Thanks for the reminders. In the Pacific Northwest, I’ve been seeing some eggs in grocery stores labeled “pasture-raised.” Does anyone have information about what is required to use this label?