Truly free range eggs?

Question

do they acually exist? How do I know that its for real? Ive been buying this 5 dollar cartons that is supposed to be free range organic in arizona?

Answer 1

That's a good question. Unfortunately, there is no inspection system for companies that label their eggs “free-range.” So the label is often used as a means of deceiving customers. There are also problems with free range; the hens are still slaughtered when they stop producing so many eggs -- typically after only 15 months. The male chicks are useless (since they can't produce eggs), so they're thrown into dumpsters or grinders while still alive.

I would only eat eggs if I had my own hens and knew that they were being treated well & wouldn't be slaughtered when their production rates slowed down.

Info about egg labels:

http://www.eggindustry.com/cfi/faq/

Info about free-range:

http://www.cok.net/lit/freerange.php

Answer 2

First eggs are not unborn chicken embryos, hens that are used for eggs never see a rooster.

One place to get eggs is from a local farm, where you can see how the hens are cared for. Another is to keep few hens yourself. They aren't hard to care for and get to be like pets.

Answer 3

Sorry,  no unborn chicken embryos are on my vegetarian diet.

Answer 4

If you are buying eggs from a large farm (industrial farm or CFO) Free range means the hens are not caged and there is a door in their barn open to the out of doors that few hens will ever pass through.

What you want is to buy eggs from a small local farm that pastures their hens (usually with a rooster of two so most of the eggs will be fertilized) and feed certified organic feed or they raise GMO free feed themselves. You can find such eggs at locally owned small health food stores (not Trader Joe's or Whole Paycheck), farmers markets or at the farm

http://www.localharvest.org has the largest listing of such farms on the internet and you should be able to find such in your area through them.

When you do find a potential source ask what kind of feed they are eating, how much access to the outside the hens have and if they ever give them drugs (antibiotics, etc). I pay around $3.00 for such eggs here in Ohio that I buy direct from the farmer. I used to raise such eggs for market but have found with the price of feed and the time involved (well raised eggs are a hand crafted produced and take several hours a day of work with the hens and eggs) it is cheaper for me to buy them from other local farmers even if I charged $5 a dozen.

A well raised egg should have a hard shell, an orange, erect yolk and the albumen (the white) should be viscous and a bit cloudy) I have yet to find such in any store bought egg, even the "free range" organic ones.