Free Range Chicken Eggs [Archive]

Twisterdog

11-09-2003, 01:33 PM

I have noticed a few threads here lately about vegetarianism, testing on animals, and eating animals in general.

I thought I would let you all about some alternatives, if you are interested ... somewhere between ignorant mass consumption and total vegetarianism.

You can purchase free-range eggs, instead of regular eggs. Free-range eggs are eggs that are brought to you the "old fashioned" way. The chickens are free to move about, living a fairly normal, natural life. The eggs are gathered by hand from nests. Yes, they are a little more expensive, but it is nominal - I think they are something like 30 cents more per dozen here than regular eggs. I won't go into it here in detail, because it is VERY disturbing, but trust me - the chickens that produce regular eggs have the worst possible "lives" of almost any animal I've ever heard of. Death would be a far, far kinder fate.

You can also buy dairy products from free-range cattle, although they are little harder to find at times.

Just FYI - there ARE ways to make a difference in the lives - and deaths - of animals without totally giving up all meat and animal products. :)

popcornbird

11-09-2003, 01:38 PM

We always buy free range chicken eggs. :D They are eggs from chickens that do not live in a cage (free), have no added hormones in their diet, and are basically more healthy and happy. My parents get it mainly because of the no added hormones in their diet..............because they don't like the idea of us getting too many hormones in our food. Even the chickens we buy are corn-fed and free range.

RICHARD

11-09-2003, 01:44 PM

something's wrong..

people PAY for FREE-range chicken eggs?????

;)

babolaypo65

11-09-2003, 02:11 PM

My local food co-op and my local Wild Oats both have free-range eggs, AND free range egg whites for those on cholesterol restrictions...they also have milk and cheese from cows raised the old fashioned way. Sad that we have to pay more, but it's worth it.

Miss Meow

11-09-2003, 02:22 PM

When I was 15 I worked at an egg farm for a day, and never, ever returned to that place. The hens have the ends of their beaks cut off, so they can't attack other hens in the same cage. The stench is unbelievable, and the relaxed attitude of the farmers towards picking up the dead chickens every day was sickening.

The extra money you pay for free range is worth it IMHO.

CathyBogart

11-09-2003, 02:39 PM

I get my eggs from my co-worker, who has the most spoiled flock of pet chickens I have ever seen! Yummy, fresh eggs....

NoahsMommy

11-09-2003, 06:44 PM

We shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes for two reasons. #1, for my health, #2 because I can get products that are free-range.

We buy only free range, organic, minimally processed: milk, yogurt, eggs, cheese, icecream, baked goods, meat and produce. (Basically everything we buy) Its healthy and if you're (I'm) going to eat meat, I feel I should at least only buy what has been treated respectfully. I'll pay more any day. Even my Micah only gets free-range, organic chicken. :)

I probably wouldn't eat beef if I didn't have crohn's. My body requires a certain B vitamin only found in beef to control the inflammation. Even then, I only eat it once a week, if that.

slick

11-09-2003, 07:37 PM

Twisterdog

11-09-2003, 08:39 PM

Tell me this please?? You take one chicken that roaming free and laying eggs. You take another chicken that inhumany cooped up and laying eggs. How come the free-range are sooo much more expensive??? It doesn't take anymore overhead to raise free-range chickens does it??? Or am I that ignorant....

It does take more overhead per egg. A big operation sells umpteen thousands of eggs per day, everything runs like a smooth assembly line. The lights come on, the chicken lays an egg, the eggs rolls down a shute, is washed, checked, put in the carton by machines. The lights go out a couple hours later. An hour later the lights come on. Repeat process. With thousands upon thousands of chickens per day. Very efficient, very cheap, very cruel. Economies of scale. Just like buying a widget a Walmart is usually cheaper than buying the widget a the mom and pop speciality store downtown, because Walmart buys, handles, markets and sells 10,000,000,000 widgets per year, and mom and pop buy 100.

Here a dozen regular eggs is about 30 cents less than a dozen free-range eggs.

2kitties

11-10-2003, 10:10 AM

What's the deal with eggs. Do the hens lay them, then the rooster fertilize? Or are they the product of mating? How can a bunch of hens keep producing eggs and what is the rooster's role?

babolaypo65

11-10-2003, 10:19 AM

Women "lay" an egg once a month regardless of whether a male is there to fertilize it... wouldn't the same be true for hens?

Originally posted by 2kitties
What's the deal with eggs. Do the hens lay them, then the rooster fertilize? Or are they the product of mating? How can a bunch of hens keep producing eggs and what is the rooster's role?

popcornbird

11-10-2003, 10:45 AM

Originally posted by babolaypo65
Women "lay" an egg once a month regardless of whether a male is there to fertilize it... wouldn't the same be true for hens?

Very true. Birds don't need a mate to lay an egg. They need a mate to lay a fertilized egg, but not to just lay an egg.

2kitties

11-10-2003, 10:51 AM

interesting. So, if there is no rooster, the hens will lay the eggs, but they would never hatch? And the eggs we eat are unfertilized?

popcornbird

11-10-2003, 10:56 AM

Originally posted by 2kitties
interesting. So, if there is no rooster, the hens will lay the eggs, but they would never hatch? And the eggs we eat are unfertilized?

Yep. I do believe some of the free range ones are fertilized though, but the ones from the main egg farms that you get in any store are unfertilized and won't hatch. I had no idea birds can lay eggs without a mate, until I got the cockatiels, and read so much about them. The book I got had a FAQ section, and one of the question was related to females and eggs...........why some female birds would lay when there was no male. Anyway, after that, I asked my mom about chicken eggs.............if it was the same with them, and she said most of the chicken eggs we buy are *not* fertilized. Just eggs laid by females who don't have a mate. Explains why some of the free range egg cartons say *fertilized* on them........because most eggs are not.

2kitties

11-10-2003, 11:18 AM

HA! Ya learn something every day!

tikeyas_mom

11-10-2003, 11:36 AM

you didnt know that lol

Havent you ever seen the majic school bus ;)

2kitties

11-10-2003, 01:05 PM

No, what is that? And why do they spell it with a j?

Shelteez2

11-10-2003, 01:47 PM

Originally posted by 2kitties
No, what is that? And why do they spell it with a j?

It's a children's tv show based on a children's book series. A cartoon where a teacher takes her class on magic field trips and they learn things, like what happened to dinosaurs, how the body works, etc, and apparently where eggs come from LOL. There's no reason for you to have ever seen or heard of it, LOL And it's not spelt with a j :) That must have been a typo.

http://current.org/ch/ch723m.html

2kitties

11-10-2003, 01:55 PM

Oh,
*feels very old. very very old*
:)

Shelteez2

11-10-2003, 01:56 PM

Originally posted by 2kitties
Oh,
*feels very old. very very old*
:)

Nah don't feel old. If I didn't have younger siblings I would have had no idea what it was either ;)

Miss Meow

11-10-2003, 02:12 PM

I've read in organic gardening books that it's not natural for a hen to lay an egg every single day. An egg every two or three days is more the natural order.

To maximise productivity, commercial egg farmers keep lights on 24 hours a day so the hens are in a perpetual state of daylight, which triggers regular laying. The poor girls are burnt out quickly by this accelerated laying cycle :(

popcornbird

11-10-2003, 02:24 PM

Originally posted by 2kitties
Oh,
*feels very old. very very old*
:)

I'm surprised you never heard of the Magic School Bus! It was one of my favorite book series growing up! I LOVED it! :D

2kitties

11-10-2003, 03:28 PM

It's been over 20 years since I was in elementary school.
feels older by the minute
We didn't even have computers!!:eek:

wolfsoul

11-10-2003, 03:47 PM

We always get free range chicken eggs, because my grandma had free-range chickens and we take eggs from her. I like it because these chickens get excersise, they get to eat food without chemicals, not to mention they get to eat bugs and other things that are healthy for them.

I'm going to ask my grandma if I can buy a cicken or two from her when I am older so that I can have my own eggs. Unfortunatly because of the bird droppings, she is now sick and may not be able to keep them much longer anyway.

wolfsoul

11-10-2003, 03:48 PM

Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
you didnt know that lol

Havent you ever seen the majic school bus ;)
The Magic School Bus is great!!! LOL!

Nomilynn

11-10-2003, 04:10 PM

I've had free-range eggs before, but I think they taste SO GROSS.. so I don't get them :o

And - true story that relates to Richard's comment.. once my grandma thought they were actually free, told my papa that she knew of a farm that was giving out free eggs and made him drive all the way out there to get her free range-eggs. He had to explain that it was actually free-range eggs :p

Twisterdog

11-10-2003, 10:43 PM

I've had free-range eggs before, but I think they taste SO GROSS.. so I don't get them

Then I think you need to find a different brand or supplier. Free-range eggs taste absolutely no different than regular eggs.

popcornbird

11-10-2003, 10:45 PM

Originally posted by Twisterdog
Then I think you need to find a different brand or supplier. Free-range eggs taste absolutely no different than regular eggs.

I agree. They taste EXACTLY the same.............no difference.

wolfsoul

11-10-2003, 10:47 PM

I agree, they taste the same lol. They look alot different though. The free-range eggs I get have very orange yolks. They are alot darker. We also get the green and brown coloured shells. :)

Twisterdog

11-10-2003, 10:49 PM

We also get the green and brown coloured shells.

That's true. I think it is cool. I like how all the eggs are different colors and sizes. :)

wolfsoul

11-10-2003, 10:52 PM

Yeah, my grandma has differenttypes of chickens, so sometimes we get green, sometimes brown, sometimes white, and ALL different sizes. :) Every once in a while she'll throw in a speckled egg for us. :eek: Not sure what kind of bird makes those ones! lol.

Twisterdog

11-10-2003, 10:56 PM

Every once in a while she'll throw in a speckled egg for us. Not sure what kind of bird makes those ones! lol

Why, a speckled hen, of course! Just like brown eggs are from brown chickens, white eggs are from white chickens, chocolate milk is from a brown cow, and white milk is from a white cow.

Sheesh, don't you know ANYthing? :rolleyes:

;)

popcornbird

11-10-2003, 10:58 PM

But Twisterdog....................our golden chicken laid green eggs. :o :o :o

wolfsoul

11-10-2003, 11:03 PM

Originally posted by Twisterdog
Why, a speckled hen, of course! Just like brown eggs are from brown chickens, white eggs are from white chickens, chocolate milk is from a brown cow, and white milk is from a white cow.

Sheesh, don't you know ANYthing? :rolleyes:

;)
I feel so stupid, I can't believe I never knew that! :p ;)

So where do we get those yummy cadbury chocolate eggs? :confused:

Twisterdog

11-10-2003, 11:07 PM

So where do we get those yummy cadbury chocolate eggs?

From rabbits, silly. Haven't you watched the commercials? You need to to pay more attention.

;)

But Twisterdog....................our golden chicken laid green eggs.

Ooooooohhhhh, well that is a problem. Obviously, she was sneaking out at night to go visit the green rooster down the road. Floosy chicken!! :eek:

babolaypo65

11-10-2003, 11:16 PM

Don't feel old. I had my 20 year High School reunion last summer.

Originally posted by 2kitties
It's been over 20 years since I was in elementary school.
feels older by the minute
We didn't even have computers!!:eek:

slick

11-10-2003, 11:43 PM

Originally posted by babolaypo65
Don't feel old. I had my 20 year High School reunion last summer.

It's been 33 yrs for me :eek: :eek:

popcornbird

11-10-2003, 11:58 PM

Originally posted by Twisterdog

Ooooooohhhhh, well that is a problem. Obviously, she was sneaking out at night to go visit the green rooster down the road. Floosy chicken!! :eek:

I never knew there was a such thing as a green rooster! You don't think she had an affair with a green parrot do you? :o :eek: :o :o :o

Twisterdog

11-11-2003, 12:29 AM

I never knew there was a such thing as a green rooster! You don't think she had an affair with a green parrot do you?

Of COURSE there is such a thing as a green chicken ... where do you think Dr. Suess got "Green Eggs and Ham" from?

Where do you people live ... under rocks??

Hmmmmm .....as to the parrot thing ... it's always a possibility, I suppose. Are said green eggs smaller than a normal chicken egg? If so ... you might just have yourself a secret inter-species love affair going on. Might have to set up a hidden camera in the hen house.

;)

popcornbird

11-11-2003, 12:40 AM

OMG! I'm about going to die laughing! :eek: LOL LOL

Can't set up a camera now. My little Henny Penny has passed away years ago. I had her years and years and years ago. She was the cutest, cuddliest, fluffiest golden chick in the world! I miss her. :(

She grew up and laid yummy green eggs. I still wonder where they came from.............the green color. :p I hope she didn't have a green macaw as her mate! LOL

Nomilynn

11-11-2003, 12:42 AM

Originally posted by Twisterdog
Then I think you need to find a different brand or supplier. Free-range eggs taste absolutely no different than regular eggs.

Maybe not to you, but they did to me. I've had them from at least three different places, and I didn't like them.

popcornbird

11-11-2003, 12:45 AM

Originally posted by Nomilynn
Maybe not to you, but they did to me. I've had them from at least three different places, and I didn't like them.

From my experience...........the brown fertilized free range eggs taste different.........not good. The white non fertilized free range eggs taste exactly the same........and I can say that because we always used to eat the normal eggs, until just 2 years ago.

Twisterdog

11-11-2003, 12:50 AM

I hope she didn't have a green macaw as her mate! LOL

Ooooh, if so .... you ate little parrots! Eeeewwwww! Or maybe I should say parrachicks. Or chickaparrs. Or macachicks. Or Chickamacs.

;)

Twisterdog

11-11-2003, 12:54 AM

Maybe not to you, but they did to me. I've had them from at least three different places, and I didn't like them.

Hmmmm. Don't know. I always buy free-range eggs for home. But of course, I have eaten regular eggs in restaurants and at some friend's houses. They all taste the same to me, and to everyone else I know that have tried them both.

Maybe you should do a blind taste test and see for sure if you can tell the difference, or if you are being subconsciously influenced by the appearance of the eggs. (I'm not being snotty, this is a common, real phychological phenomenon, honestly.)

wolfsoul

11-11-2003, 01:55 AM

Originally posted by Twisterdog
From rabbits, silly. Haven't you watched the commercials? You need to to pay more attention.

Oh dear, you are right. I feel so silly now! I can't believe I didn't know that! :( :p