This is something that you can commonly find in your egg department now. The question I think lots of people have is “What’s the difference?”
When I go to the grocery store I admit I am guilty of walking up to the same box every time. The biggest box at the cheapest price. I normally have around 3 boxes of 18 eggs each on hand at home.
Every now and then my mother in law brings me a carton of “free range” eggs from her sister in law who lives west of us. I stick them in my refrigerator and eat them like normal. And normally they are in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
So which should you buy?
Price wise– Free Range (or Cage Free) is more expensive.
Safer– From chickens that are caged and produce eggs you can expect to have cleaner, safer eggs. The egg shells tend to have less bacteria than free range chickens.
Nutrient content– Some would think that because they are spending more for the free range chicken eggs they are getting a higher nutritional content. Nutrient content has nothing to do with whether or not the chicken is caged or a free ranger. It all depends on what the chicken has been fed.
photo by Tammy Riojas, Elgin, TX |
Brown eggs, Green eggs, Red, and White…Oh my which is Right?
At a conference I went to awhile back my long thought, but unasked question was finally answered. What makes chicken eggs different colors? The answer: The color of their ears. Or basically the breed of the chicken. I find that so interesting!
(I admit having a degree in Ag Education- but also admit to knowing slim to none about poultry production. After the conference and some research on my own I finally feel more confident talking about poultry.)
Some people claim that free range tastes “off” and that store bought tastes “right”. When it comes to chicken eggs it all depends on what the chicken has been fed. That is where the “taste” factor is determined.
Personally, an egg is an egg to me. I love them all. I would love to have some chickens of my own to lay eggs. But, my husband tells me he thinks our dog would love them too, and not for their eggs.
As I always say…Make the right decision for you and your family…I hope after today you feel you can make an educated and informed decision!
Or visit these great websites to do some searching on your own!
Good Egg Project
The National Chicken Council
Dawson Cattle Company says
we love our chickens! and haven’t eaten store bought in several years. i always laugh when people say they can tell the difference between a white egg and a brown egg. great post!
SDFarmWife says
I always laugh too..And egg is an egg right?! ๐
tiff@thecoffeehouse says
haha. I love this! ok, so we live in kansas city … our little town in kc just passed a law saying we can have chickens in our backyard. my husband is seriously considering it. I told him that our 95lb lab would EAT them. but, he seems to think everyone would be friends. oh and he wants a goat too. go figure. maybe we need to move out by you guys? ๐
SDFarmWife says
Haha..I think you are right, if your lab is anything like our lab mix they will definitely help you “weed” out your chickens! Sounds like you guys would fit in perfectly out here on the farm! ๐
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