A recent post on facebook brought up some questions. Questions about EGGS.
There were several so we’re going straight to the answers. But first, here’s the post.

       “An egg shortage… You mean the malnourished, antibiotic stuffed chickens with limited access to their natural diet or environment are not producing??

        Tagged with #chickensonstrike #farmfresh #meetyourfarmer

What to look for when
Buying Eggs
I always recommend buying local when you can. It’s really a relief when you have the opportunity to meet your farmer; not only to know what they are fed but also how the hens are treated. It’s also a heck of a lot cheaper.

 Understanding the Label.

Label companies have gotten better but they still try to trick you into buying their product over the product of their competitor. For instance putting colorful farm on the label to in some part of your mind think they came from a happy place. Here is an idea of what they really mean and how you can make the best choice.
Cage Free – Sorry to say, but those birds are trapped in a room, tripping over each other and being thrown scraps for food. I can only imagine it as the concentration camps for chickens. These birds are sick and stuffed antibiotics, some can’t even walk. Watch Food Inc. If you want to see video footage of that.
All Natural – When eggs start NOT being natural we have a really big problem! The words all natural mean absolutely nothing because an egg is already natural to begin with. Some “all natural” eggs may mean that the chickens are not given antibiotics. It will say on the label if so, it makes for a good selling point.
All Vegetarian Diet – They were fed corn. A healthy chicken’s diet is meant to include bugs. If they were secluded from bugs then they were secluded from outdoors as well.
Organic – They were fed organic corn and should not have received antibiotics. I’m not on the farm. If we give companies the benefit of the doubt buying organic eggs are going to be your best shot.
Local/Farm Raised/Antibiotic Free – I mentioned they were cheaper right? You may have to drive a little country to get it but people selling their eggs will usually have a sign posted outside of their house. I’ve purchased for as low as $2.50/dozen which is the same cost as the lowest grade eggs at the store. Otherwise you can always buy eggs at your local farmers market. You may have to pay a little more(they have a booth fee to cover) but you get to support your local farmers. I recommend arriving early, they sell quickly.

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