Free Range vs. Cooped Up
Jan 21st, 2008 by Laura
I’ve been told a couple of times that free range eggs aren’t that much richer colored. And that it has as much to do with the chicken as her diet. While this my friends is proof that that is bulls*%^.
These are all eggs from Danny. Same hen, ten eggs. The two dark ones were laid when we were still letting the girls range the yard every other day this winter. The rest are from the time that they’ve been “cooped up” while the house is on the market.
Now don’t panic. They’re still eating an all organic diet rich in whole seeds and grains. With plenty of calcium and grit. What’s changed is the amount of green matter and bugs they’ve got access to. We give them table scraps including veggies, pastas, meats, etc. But the volume of scraps and leftovers we generate is nothing compared to the amount of grass, weeds, plants and bugs they eat when loose in the yard.
Consider this your PSA that free range eggs really are different from non-free range eggs. And if the “free range” eggs you buy at the store aren’t that rich orange color, then the hens don’t have sufficient access to the outdoors. Or at least their outdoors area isn’t full of rich organic matter for them to eat.
The comparison really drives home for me that the girls are much better off when we can let them out to forage than when we can’t. Here’s hoping their confinement ends soon. Plus I see a higher bill for organic greens and lettuce in my future this winter.
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Side note that our local dinner tonight was egg scramble and skillet potatoes. And a caveat that we didn’t really split 10 eggs. Danny’s eggs are less than half the size of a large store egg. So 10 eggs is really like 5, split between the two of us. I just thought it would be fun to make an entire meal of “mini” eggs.
We went on vacation to Greece and Turkey at the end of 2006. While there, we could not get over how amazingly orange the yolks of all the eggs were. After talking to a few locals, we realized that it’s because they don’t get their eggs from corporate farms - free range is the norm.
That’s when I really started wishing we were zoned to keep chickens in the backyard.
How very true, Laura. I see a difference between the conventional eggs from the grocery store and the “free-range” eggs from the co-op, but the very best and most richly colored eggs I’ve ever seen came from a friend’s farm… the quiche I made from some of those was like traffic-sign yellow, it was so vivid!
Mmmm, now I wish I could get some of those for the souffle I plan to make this weekend……..
Very true. Our hens always laid very orange, very firm eggs on range. During the winter they yellowed more, but they still were more firm and sat up nicely compared to anything you’d buy at the store!!
Isnt the difference amazing? We are in an egg share so we get farm fresh free range eggs and you can so tell the difference. Even the ones in the store claiming to be free range dont compare to the ones fresh from the farm. So many people have chickens and get their own eggs. I am envious.
Egg color is definately effected by what the chickens eat. Once I burnt a pot of chilli so I fed all the beans to my chickens. The yolks were bright red, not the normal bright orange! My husband wouldn’t eat them because they grossed him out. lol I thought they tasted just fine.
One neat thing I did this winter with my very few eggs was make fresh raw egg nog. I would never do that with store bought eggs, but since mine were laid that day, no bacteria had time to grow. It was very good, just slightly different from the premium egg nogs at the store, very good.
I know the small eggs you are talking about! We recently added 2 jouvenile banties so our solitary big hen would have friends. Last week 1 laid her first egg! So cute & tiny next to the jumbo sized egg that hardly fits in the carton!
Oh and Nicole… this may be bad but a motto I sometimes apply to life is “ask forgiveness not permission.” Depending on where you live you could probably get away with having a few hens in your back yard, especially if you can either hide them from the neighbors or make them your friends w/bribes of fresh eggs
In my city there isn’t any fine or anything. If you get caught you just say “oops sorry” and find them a new home.
Backyard, free range eggs are the best! I have three hens. They roam the backyard and help with the cultivation. Mother Earth News had a couple of articles on eggs, factory vs. free range. The difference in nutrition is incredible! Visit my blog and see the beautiful green and brown eggs.
Yes, free range eggs are the best! My boyfriend and I used to go out for brunch on weekends - until we started getting fresh free-range eggs from the farmers market and discovered how much better they taste than supermarket eggs. Now we cook up a our own tasty brunches at home with those eggs.
Yes, we really notice the difference at this time of year, with the girls unable to forage. The eggs still taste better than supermarket eggs, but the yolks are much paler even though we supplement their grain with flax seed, table scraps, oatmeal from breakfast on cold days like today, and extra spinach and greens. Having my own hens has ruined breakfasts out as a treat!