Farm Eggs vs Organic Cage Free Etc

[Armystolehim04]

I recently starting eating fresh farm eggs and was at the grocery store and bought organic thinking it would be the same.I was completely wrong in a lot of ways.Why are they so different and what are the benefits of eating farm fresh eggs opposed to organic?Is there any place i can find the nutritional information for Farm eggs?

Thanks

[cindy_cfids]

I'm guessing that chickens on a farm are roaming in the sunshine and supplementing their diet with scavenged bugs, minerals and wild veg and not just eating what food that is put before them.

[Laura in Arizona]

If you mean farm eggs as in they (the chickens, not the eggs) are out running around in the sunshine eating bugs and grass I would go for those over organic supermarket eggs. Part of my growing awareness over my food choices is how the animals I consume are treated. For a chicken growing up in a 24x24 inch cell even if fed organic materials is inhumane.

For nutritional info I found this a while ago:

Whole Health Source: Pastured Eggs

[LoCarbLita]

As far as texture goes, I prefer the organic. Cooked commercial eggs have a rubber-like texture. I have yet to find that in any organic brand name.

[sbarr]

Laura - I agree with you 100%. I would always go for eggs from a happy local free range chicken rather than a penned up one (among the advantages are your Omegas, humanity for the bird not being locked in a cage with 3 other birds and unable to turn around). I just got my first CSA share (and eggs were part of my share) - the yolks are so big and dark yellow - even though the eggs were pretty small. The farmer left a note in the carton saying - newbie chickens, small eggs, the eggs will get larger - be patient. Interestingly enough, the yolks were the size of XL eggs.

I might sound like a radical going out on a limb, but my take is the best eggs will be local and from small-scale farmers who let their birdies run around for free, eating bugs. I've been on local free range eggs for so long, I'm almost tempted to go buy a dozen industrial agriculture eggs to do a comparison. But, then what do I do with the eggs? Maybe I should just go to the neighbor and ask for one.

I also think local farm fresh is one of the best ways we can protect our food supply - as long as we support our local farmers, eat our local eggs, meat and veggies - there will always be food nearby.

[Armystolehim04]

I agree with you both (Laura & Sbarr)
I actually saw the chickens the eggs came from.They seemed pretty healthy and happy with a large yard to run around in.There were also about 20 so they most likely get more attention than Organic chicken that sell organic eggs to the grocery stores.Where i live its 2.00 for a dozen from the farm up the road at the store its usually more or around that price.Sbarr i also noticed that the yolks are MUCH bigger,darker and more orange.Once this organic dozen runs out i will be going and getting 2 dozen again from the farm!

[LeanLioness]

DH and I prefer farm eggs instead of store bought eggs of any kind...............

They are much richer in taste also.

I get them for $1.25 a dozen here and usually buy 4 dozen at a time from someone that is less than a mile down the road from us.

[LayMiz]

Check the label on the organic eggs. Does it say that the chickens are raised on a vegetarian diet? I think that means corn.

[terez]

Well, I've had organic, vegetarian and store bought. I'm getting farm fresh eggs this week and I'll see what kind of difference it makes.

[livinlarge]

I purchase farm eggs from a coworker. $1.00 a dozen. He brings them to me at work (4 dozen every week)

[Armystolehim04]

Originally Posted by livinlarge

I purchase farm eggs from a coworker. $1.00 a dozen. He brings them to me at work (4 dozen every week)

Lucky!

[RealFoodLiving]

Here I pay $3.00 a dozen for local free-range eggs.

[NurseMonkee]

Originally Posted by LayMiz

Check the label on the organic eggs. Does it say that the chickens are raised on a vegetarian diet? I think that means corn.

Just checked mine!
It says CAGE FREE. Then on the side it says VEGETARIAN FED HENS!

Is that good or bad?

This is so confusing.
What should I be looking for exactly?

[sbarr]

Nurse - organic is fine. My first preference is eggs that are truly free-range, no cage, eating bugs and living the free life. There's something about cooping up a chicken in the space covered by an 8 X 11 piece of paper, possibly removing it's beak that makes me a bit squeamish and collect the eggs by conveyor belt.

That being said, chickens aren't roamers, so it's not uncommon to have a coop in a field, let the chickens out for the day and then they come back at night and eat some grain. Is the farmer local? I'd suggest if you really want to know - call the farmer or speak to the store where you buy the eggs. Do you get them from a farmer's market?

[DiamondDeb]

Local is best. I know my eggs from the Farmers Market are from humanely treated (as Laura describes) chickens.

Eggs from vegetarian-fed chickens are not "natural." Chickens are not vegetarians.

"Cage-Free" can mean they are in a building but not cooped up all the time. 'Pasture-fed" is better but I am not 100% sure I trust that either. There is a lot of deception in labeling/marketing. I avoid a lot of store "organic/natural" products, like Publix "Green Market" meats because of that.

[NurseMonkee]

Originally Posted by sbarr

Nurse - organic is fine. My first preference is eggs that are truly free-range, no cage, eating bugs and living the free life. There's something about cooping up a chicken in the space covered by an 8 X 11 piece of paper, possibly removing it's beak that makes me a bit squeamish and collect the eggs by conveyor belt.

That being said, chickens aren't roamers, so it's not uncommon to have a coop in a field, let the chickens out for the day and then they come back at night and eat some grain. Is the farmer local? I'd suggest if you really want to know - call the farmer or speak to the store where you buy the eggs. Do you get them from a farmer's market?

I just get them at Albertsons, Fresh & Easy or Costco.
I don't get them from the farmers market.

[terez]

Okay, I finally had the farm fresh eggs. These were actually from a feed store in the country and I'm not sure exactly how fresh they were, but I did notice some differences.

First, the eggs were all different shades of brown and all different sizes from the same hens. It kind of made me wonder about how carefully chain stores will sort their eggs to match each other in size and color. It's something I never thought about.

The yolks seemed to be the same color, but I was not seeing them in natural light. I did notice that the eggs had that little white speck on them, eggs that I normally buy don't have it. Again, it's something I never think about.

I slowly scrambled the eggs like I normally do. I noticed that the broken yolks color was much more orange and deep than the organic eggs I get from Trader Joe's. It was almost the same color as that Kraft macaroni and cheese that comes in the little box. THAT orange.

Stirring the yolks over the low heat, I noticed that the texture of the "soup" was much thicker than with other eggs I have eaten. More like a custard than the watery raw eggs that I cook with.

The taste was, well, a little "gamier". Kind of like how a chicken heart or gizzard might taste compared to the white meat. It's not what I expected, and something I'll have to get used to.

All in all, I'm glad I will have steady supply of really fresh eggs this Fall, when my friend's hens start laying and even she doesn't get them from the feed store in the country.

[LeanLioness]

I prefer eggs straight from the farm!!!!

They are the best.

We have started eating Duck eggs. 1 egg is enough for a meal for me and my hubby. They are a little richer tasting that chicken eggs......and go so well with a ham steak.

[NurseMonkee]

I stopped buying cage-free eggs after noticing that it said vegetarian fed which someone here mentioned it is probably corn.

I stocked up on new eggs.
The package says....

Organic Large Brown Eggs
USDA Organic
"Hens have the ability to play in the fresh air and sunshine as they wish. They are fed certified organic feed daily"

Is that good or bad? Did I make a better choice? Or should I go hunt down more eggs?

Feels like I am on an egg hunt!

[DJAdam]

Originally Posted by NurseMonkee

I stopped buying cage-free eggs after noticing that it said vegetarian fed which someone here mentioned it is probably corn.

I stocked up on new eggs.
The package says....

Organic Large Brown Eggs
USDA Organic
"Hens have the ability to play in the fresh air and sunshine as they wish. They are fed certified organic feed daily"

Is that good or bad? Did I make a better choice? Or should I go hunt down more eggs?

Feels like I am on an egg hunt!

You should "hunt down more eggs", NM. go scouting for a local CSA that has chickens (or ducks, etc..). You need to know what the chickens do all day, and what supplemental feed they eat. As you know, avoid corn fed poultry.

[NurseMonkee]

Originally Posted by NurseMonkee

I stopped buying cage-free eggs after noticing that it said vegetarian fed which someone here mentioned it is probably corn.

I stocked up on new eggs.
The package says....

Organic Large Brown Eggs
USDA Organic
"Hens have the ability to play in the fresh air and sunshine as they wish. They are fed certified organic feed daily"

Is that good or bad? Did I make a better choice? Or should I go hunt down more eggs?

Feels like I am on an egg hunt!

Originally Posted by DJAdam

You should "hunt down more eggs", NM. go scouting for a local CSA that has chickens (or ducks, etc..). You need to know what the chickens do all day, and what supplemental feed they eat. As you know, avoid corn fed poultry.

I spent 4.00 per dozen for those eggs. I got 2 dozen.

I've looked at the CSA nearby and its always veggies. I've found a few that have eggs, but they are corn fed. Some say that they are allowed to be out in the grass, eating bugs and such, but then they are also given corn or other vegetarian feeds. The rest are just way too far and only do local pick up. I'll keep searching.

I don't mind going to farmer's markets or driving somewhere further to get good products, but sometimes I go through eggs quickly. I need something that I can have easy access to. That is why I keep looking for better options at markets.

Would trader joes have good eggs? Or would they also be corn fed? Does anyone know.

[rottinluv]

Check out your local feed stores. Ask them if they know of anyone with eggs to sell. Also, check out your local Craigslist. That's how I found my supplier.

[NurseMonkee]

Thanks for the tips.
I'll look into them. I hope I find some yummy eggs!

[Darkfire]

I thought I hated eggs, I thought I was allergic to eggs. My best friend finally got me to try the eggs from her farm. If I am allergic to something it is corporate food not eggs. She had to move her farm and it forced me back to the farmers market. The eggs I get are fresh, from awesome free roaming, minimally fed and fiddled with chickens at a farm even closer than my best friend was. I buy them every Saturday from a cute little farmer in the heart of the city who often gets up two hrs before i hit the sack Friday night haha.

For me, my dh and cats it's farm fresh or none.

[fawn]

It is said that free roaming sun bathing chickens enjoying a natural diet have the highest vitamin D levels of any food other than that of cod liver oil.

There is nothing like a farm fresh egg with that bright orange yolk. That's how you know it's free range......that yolk.

[terez]

I had my first duck eggs today. Next I'll try goose and/or quail. I went to an Asian market that had all kinds of eggs. They have organic, too. I don't know if the duck eggs were organic. I kind of think that if they were, they would say so. But, I would guess they're not treated to growth hormones and antibiotics like the chicken mega farms are, kind of like how goat's aren't treated, but cow are, unless labeled.

The eggs were as large as the largest chicken eggs I've had. The shells were speckled and tougher and had an almost velvety feel to them. Very odd at first. The yolks were about twice the size of chicken egg yolks and they had a different texture than the chicken eggs. Also, I couldn't get the eggs to mix like chicken eggs. If you mix chicken eggs long enough, they form a uniform batter. When the duck eggs cooked, they had almost a cottage cheese texture to them. They were very rich and delicious.

They cooked differently, but then, I'm cooking on a new stove, so I guess I can't really compare cooking times.

[BikerAng]

I just got some farm fresh eggs at a local Farmers Market (a boy about 10 maybe 12 years old raises and sells his eggs) and holy smokes - the difference between these and the organic variety in the store is night and day. The hens are at this boy's home, they have access to wonderful grass pastures (he had a bunch of pictures at his booth, and I talked with him and his mom a bit about the hens living conditions). They do supplement with corn and some feed, but these hens are living a good life outside. The yolks in these eggs are a deep, dark orange color and the yolk size is huge compared to commercial eggs. There is about the same amount of yolk as there is white. They don't taste "eggy" either. They are $5 a dozen, but it's supporting the local economy and these eggs are far tastier and I'm sure healthier. Wish I could buy them year round!

[Darkfire]

I had a chance to cook truly pastured eggs gathered two days before I cooked them from amazingly healthy happy chickens also local and WOW with the BRIGHT orange color. They were so creamy I was so shocked. I am floored. NO SMELLLLLLLL no nastiness at all. Then I cooked some local (to the camp site) brown eggs that were cage free and raised with veggie feed, they were ok. But not the great color. Then I cooked some organic, cage free eggs from Wal-mart and almost puked. The funky smell was back. I didn't eat the last two types but I cooked them and the yokes were yellow in the last batch. Rubbery even, they fried better than the best eggs I had but I could never eat that. Also my eggs took twice as long to cook as did my bacon.

I feel pretty blessed to have friends that trust me to cook for twenty some ppl for four days but the crap they were eating.....OMG....I cannot believe I ever ate that stuff...I mean really...really. The eggs I am getting now are better than my friends eggs (she had a farm had to relocate)

I was really awesome to see, smell and cook the difference. I did try a piece of center cut, no sugar commercial bacon....BLECH tasted like sugar....gross. I've been buying better bacon for many years and this stuff ewww.

I also tasted a small piece of a smoked(really smoked no chemicals I provided the wood so I am sure pork butt, conventional....GROSSSS.....

[Suncharm]

I had the organic eggs from Walmart and out of the dozen, six had blood spots.

I wish I had access to farm eggs

[BikerAng]

I have three varieties in my fridge right now. Costco cage free organic, cage free organic from Naturally Nested, and these amazing local farm eggs. The first two look and taste the same (they have that eggy flavor with light yellowish yolks) then the farm eggs - no egg taste/smell and those yolks! It's so easy to get spoiled with local farm fresh produce, I don't know what I'm going to do this winter!

I noticed those blood spots in the Costco and Naturally Nested eggs, what's up with that? There weren't any in the farm eggs.