Not all eggs are created equal!!

Why eggsactly are there so many different egg choices in the store?

In the last few years it seems the choices in the egg aisle have grown tremendously.

I mean what’s the difference? Cage free, organic, caged, free range?? Its a little overwhelming to say the least.

I didn’t take the time to research this a little more until just the other day when I noticed a stark difference between my Cage Free Organic eggs and one labeled “Free-est of the Free Range.”

Short of raising our own chickens I just want to know whats THE BEST choice I can make in the egg aisle.

Unless the packaging says otherwise, you are mostly likely buying eggs from caged hens. These hens spend their entire lives indoors in overcrowded wire cages without even enough space to stretch their wings. Unfortunately, most of the eggs farmed in the US still come from caged hens.

If your eggs say CAGE FREE these hens do not live inside wire cages, but they never go outside. Cage-free permits just 1.5 square feet of space per bird and always inside the barn. There is little ability to engage in natural behaviors.

If your looking at a carton that says STANDARD FREE RANGE.. these eggs state that there are Certified Humane standards for free range in place but however, only require 2 square feet per bird. Better.. but not great!

An “ORGANIC” egg is USDA certified organic, farms must be herbicide and pesticide free for at least a three-year period and the hens must be fed an organic diet. Which is what I have been buying for my family for over 5 years.

I thought that was THE BEST option….again An eggs an egg right?

I may have never noticed a difference until my local grocery was out of my eggs and I had to make another choice. The carton I picked up that day was from a company called “Happy Egg.” (I didn’t know eggs could be happy.. but whatever 😂)

Immediately my husband and I noticed the color of the yolks! They were a much brighter shade of orange.. the bright color we have noticed before when our neighbors would occasionally give us some farm fresh eggs. This companies farms each have over 8 acres of pasture for their hens to enjoy outdoors every day. Because Free-est of the Free Range is about more than just space, after laying their morning eggs, the hens venture outside to forage, perch, dust bathe and stretch their wings. Their barns are lined with 6 foot openings called “pop holes,” which make it easy for their hens to come and go… creating a happier hen… and thus a happier egg.

And what about the taste? They have a much richer flavor and offer a higher nutritional value as well. I think we’re sold on them.

And.. if you click below you can see the pastures in which they run, frolic and play… (or whatever chickens do😂 🐓)

Finding these eggs on special at $2 under cost I now know was a steal!!! It may not be my choice every time, as my family goes through about 4 dozen eggs a week (not joking), but it does have me thinking about getting my own chickens! Not sure I'll be able to sell my husband on that one, but at the end of the day the best option is farm-raised eggs!!