EGGS.?benefits of caged vs no caged eggs

mikebxb

So I'm reading labels, researching, youboob videoing Dr. opinions etc. trying to make healthier food selections. Pasture free eggs (orange/darker yolk) are $6+ dozen vs non caged eggs (yellow yolk like all others) around $3+/dozen vs $1-$2+/dozen for typical grade A large eggs. I cant see any nutritious benefit in non-caged eggs. YOUR thoughts welcome..

kimny72

I would think any benefits would be ethical, not health related.

And you'd be better off researching what those terms actually prove, there's lots of weasel wording in marketing and what you're legally allowed to do and still slap a claim on your product.

littlegreenparrot1

For me the benefits for the Chickens are worth the cost.

Of course that is to do with my views and feelings, YMMV

mikebxb

kimny72 wrote: »

I would think any benefits would be ethical, not health related.
And you'd be better off researching what those terms actually prove, there's lots of weasel wording in marketing and what you're legally allowed to do and still slap a claim on your product.

Absolutely. I finding out more and more about shady claims and branding especially Extra virgin olive oil..! I'll add that I cattle and horse ranched for 35 years and in no way desire to see animals mistreated but one can get overboard with that idealism to a fault. Animals are bred and raised for consumption. I never raised chickens but twice the price so they hens get 2 more cubic feet and longer sunlight isn't worth paying more $.
I think for now I'll just go with typical grade A til I can locate a farmer close by. Thanks for the input.

missysippy930

Nutritionally they are the same.
Letting the chickens roam around free, having a happy existence seems worth the added cost. Still a bargain, even at $6/dozen.

Womona

I think the pasture raised chicken eggs taste sooooo much better than the CAFO eggs or even the “free range” eggs. Don’t know if they have more or less nutrition, but I think the taste and quality are phenomenal and it’s worth it to me to pay more. Luckily I’m right down the road from a farm that sells them!

janejellyroll

kimny72 wrote: »

I would think any benefits would be ethical, not health related.

And you'd be better off researching what those terms actually prove, there's lots of weasel wording in marketing and what you're legally allowed to do and still slap a claim on your product.

This.

Egg producers know that some people will pay more for eggs from "happy chickens," but these terms don't always translate into material benefits for the birds in question, let alone result in making them "happy."

Diatonic12

At the processing facility, it’s not uncommon for cage-free eggs to be received alongside literally millions of non-cage-free eggs.

So, AMS requires a written and implemented segregation and traceability plan detailing how the company maintains the identity of the eggs from production through storage, transport, processing, and packaging. Then, during packing, AMS verifies that only eggs sourced from the appropriate flocks are packaged into cartons bearing a USDA Grade Shield.

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2016/09/13/usda-graded-cage-free-eggs-all-theyre-cracked-be

[Edited by MFP Staff]

janejellyroll

Diatonic12 wrote: »

At the processing facility, it’s not uncommon for cage-free eggs to be received alongside literally millions of non-cage-free eggs.

So, AMS requires a written and implemented segregation and traceability plan detailing how the company maintains the identity of the eggs from production through storage, transport, processing, and packaging. Then, during packing, AMS verifies that only eggs sourced from the appropriate flocks are packaged into cartons bearing a USDA Grade Shield.

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2016/09/13/usda-graded-cage-free-eggs-all-theyre-cracked-be

[Edited by MFP Staff]

"For AMS approval, cage-free eggs must be produced by hens housed in a way that allows for not only unlimited access to food and water . . . "

Disturbing that limiting access to water is otherwise acceptable (not the first I'm learning that this happens, it's just sad to read it incorporated into USDA policies).

fstrickl

I chose to buy free-range eggs purely for ethics. I figure since I am privileged enough to be able to afford the extra $3 I can. I'll "vote" with my dollar where I can, and absolutely no judgement on those who do not or are not able to. Food security is a real problem in North America (and probably everywhere). But yeah, I am fully aware that there is a lot of marketing into free-range. I try to buy from the Farmers Market (the Hutterites always have eggs) when I can or look for the label that says "free to roam outdoors and display natural behaviours". Same with when I buy chicken meat. Am I being played? Maybe.

MelanieCN77

It's an ethical difference, but in my experience with back yard chickens, also a taste difference. I have zero clue if there is any nutritional difference. Battery/industrial egg farming is hateful.

MelanieCN77

kimny72 wrote: »

I would think any benefits would be ethical, not health related.

And you'd be better off researching what those terms actually prove, there's lots of weasel wording in marketing and what you're legally allowed to do and still slap a claim on your product.

Yeah "cage free" pretty sure just means crammed into a barn instead, still so crowded that they can't move around easily. They also predate on each other more easily and are likely just as stressed.

A law was passed a few years back in CA about minimum room for egg laying hens in these situations so farmers just culled massive amounts of their flocks to comply, and there was a brief egg shortage. I imagine the resumption in supply meant they found a way around the legislation, not that they expanded facilities or anything.

whoami67

Grocery store free range and cage free and vegetarian fed (chickens aren't vegetarians and will die without some meat like bugs or mice) and CAFO eggs are basically all the same.

However, eggs from chickens actually raised on pasture are more nutritious. They typically have more vitamin A and E, beta carotene and omega 3 fatty acids. They have less saturated fat and cholesterol.

You can check with your local farmers market to see if any of the vendors sell eggs from chickens raised on pasture. They're probably cheaper than grocery free range eggs, too.

psuLemon

Honestly, there are two reasons i get certified humane free range eggs. 1 they taste so much better (although not as good as my friends personal chickens) and 2. I can get 18 eggs for $3.25. If i had to pay $5-6 for them, i would still be eating regular eggs. I only switched because Lidl US is super cheap. Regarding nutrition. The nutritional differences are not huge, certainly not different enough to justify the price.

AshHeartsJesus

Find farm fresh eggs we have been blessed with some the ladt couple of months. They are soooo much better then store bouht anything! 🐣

janejellyroll

whoami67 wrote: »

Grocery store free range and cage free and vegetarian fed (chickens aren't vegetarians and will die without some meat like bugs or mice) and CAFO eggs are basically all the same.

However, eggs from chickens actually raised on pasture are more nutritious. They typically have more vitamin A and E, beta carotene and omega 3 fatty acids. They have less saturated fat and cholesterol.

You can check with your local farmers market to see if any of the vendors sell eggs from chickens raised on pasture. They're probably cheaper than grocery free range eggs, too.

It isn't that they die without meat, it's that they'll die (or suffer) without methionine (an essential amino acid), which they can't get on a vegetarian diet without supplementation. We could easily supplement their diets to have enough, but organic standards limit the amount that can be added to their food . . . and so many chickens fed a vegetarian diet will suffer.

Another way of highlighting that organic standards are NOT meant to protect animals, they're meant to deliver food that a subset of consumers feel better about eating.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/29/consumers-love-chickens-that-are-vegetarian-fed-never-mind-what-the-birds-want-to-eat/

lilithsrose

I honestly don't know much about the benefits, but I do know that I can tell a difference in flavor between my mom & aunt's eggs and anything store bought. They both have hobby farms and their chickens are cage free and able to forage for bugs and vegetation, plus they're given pellets and leftover fruit & veggie scraps. While they may not eat an "organic" diet, I know that they are not pumped full of steroids and antibiotics and they live much better lives than anything store bought.

I'd suggest to buy local eggs and chicken when possible. In my area, a lot of people have small hobby farms and backyard chickens. Eggs are usually around $3 a dozen. I'm lucky enough to get free eggs from my family.

sgt1372

I've bought/eaten backyard/farm fresh eggs, which certainly "look" better in terms of the shells/yolk (lots of different colored shells and larger more vibrant yellow yolks) than those that I buy at the store, but they all taste the same to me after I cook them.

So, I just buy the cheapest eggs that I can find when I need to buy more eggs, which is usually at around $2.75 for 18 or about 15 cents each.

gininthegym

Slightly different in the UK where we have 3 options. Barn eggs (many supermarkets don't even sell these now) Free Range - so with some access to outdoors, not always as 'free and happy' as the consumer would like to imagine, and Organic. I try and buy those as I always feel a little guilty for eating animals and their products I think the nutrition fed to the chicken must pass through to benefit the egg eater somewhat. https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/what-is-organic/organic-eggs/