Are Pastured Eggs REALLY Better??

Let’s talk eggs. With so many options in the super-market: organic, cage-free, white eggs, brown eggs, how can you be sure what you’re really getting?! Are the pastured eggs from your local farmer REALLY any better?? The answer: YES!!

How does the Nutritional Value of Pastured Eggs Compare?

Since pastured eggs typically come from smaller scale farms, the money to front a large study to put this debate to rest just isn’t there. Fortunately, I did find a small study by Mother Earth News done in 2007 that proves the superiority of our pastured eggs. 

Study by Mother Earth News

“Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:

• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

The study was conducted by collecting and analyzing 6 eggs from 14 farms around the United States where the chickens were allowed to range freely or were moved over the pasture in a movable pen.

The eggs were analyzed for Vitamin E, Vitamin A activity, Beta Carotene, Omega 3s, Cholesterol and Saturated Fat and the results were posted from each farm.

The results were then averaged and compared to those posted by the United States Department of Agriculture nutrient values for eggs produced by confined chickens.

Pastured Eggs Are More Flavorful

With all that added nutrition comes a WHOLE LOTTA FLAVOR! You’ll notice that the pastured egg yolks are a much richer color – almost orange. They are plumper and stand in a beautifully round mound, whereas the lighter yellow yolks from the cage free eggs I purchased from the grocery store melt flat. The deeper colored yolks have a creamy rich flavor that melts in your mouth. Once I started raising chickens and tried these eggs, I will never go back to flat anemic looking eggs.

Be advised that the orange color can also be achieved by adding colored carrots to the hens diet. They will not have the same richness and quality as eggs that gain this coloring through natural foraging and a diverse diet.

So What Do These Labels Actually Mean?

BROWN EGGS

Or green, blue, speckled or pink eggs for that matter – aren’t any different than the white ones. Color has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the egg. Different breeds of chickens lay different colored eggs. You don’t find a lot of color variance in the stores typically, because the most efficient egg layers produce white – or brown – eggs. And commercial farmers are of course looking to get the most bang for their buck and stick to high producing breeds.

ORGANIC EGGS

Organic simply means that the chicken was fed a strictly organic diet. It says nothing else about the protein and nutrient content of their feed and way the chickens were raised. Often the best way to ensure a 100% organic diet is to eliminate access to any other possible food source – namely the outdoors. While eggs are a good option, there’s not way to be sure how the farmer raised his hens.

CAGE FREE EGGS

Cage free just means chickens can roam around the hen house – but they do not typically get access outdoors. Picture a giant hoop shed with thousands of chickens wandering around. They roost up high to sleep and find their own nesting box to lay in. With the ability to move around, they get exercise but are still confined to their house. It’s not the life they were meant to live.

PASTURED EGGS

Pastured chickens are typically raised on a smaller scale. They have a coop, but roam outdoors every single day. This means they have the freedom to peck and scratch in the dirt and grass, foraging for bugs, juicy worms, and leafy greens. Their diet is rich in protein and nutrients – which transfers to a protein and nutrient packed egg. Furthermore, chickens who roam freely in the fresh air and sunshine getting plenty of exercise are far less prone to disease because they don’t spend so much time in confinement, and much healthier all around. A healthier chicken means a healthier reproductive system – means a healthier egg.

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What Do Pastured Chickens Eat?

FORAGING

When chickens have the ability to range over a large pasture, they have access to all sorts of food depending on your areas. Here are some of their favorite things to forage for:

• worms
• grubs
• beetles
• dandelions
• wild berries
• clover

Pastured chickens should also have access to feed to make sure they are getting complete nutrition. Especially in colder climates.

WHAT DO WE FEED OUR CHICKENS?

Our birds receive a quality feed as the building block of their nutrition. From there, they hunt for their own tasty treats across our 5 acre farmstead. They get nutritious snacks from our garden, a never ending stash of pumpkins from our patch, and a bucket of kitchen scraps and toddler leftovers almost daily. For added calcium and egg shell strength we feed them crushed egg shells or oyster shells.

They also get special treats depending on the weather a few times a week. In the summer time, I freeze a veggie and seed mix for them to peck at and keep cool. And in the winter time, I make them hot oatmeal or scrambled eggs to warm their bellies. We love Grubblies as well – black fly larvae – as an eco-friendly, nutrient packed treat to keep them healthy. These are especially wonderful during molt season when they need a little boost, and through winter when the ground is frozen or covered in snow and foraging is limited.

What do you think: Are you convinced pastured eggs are better?

Now that you know some of the deets, don’t you agree that pastured eggs from a small farm are not only better for you and more delicious, but are giving the sweet chickens a far superior way of life? Let me know in the comment section.

And if you’re in Southern Minnesota, here’s a link to our farm stand to see how to get pastured eggs from the happy hens at The Little Green Wagon.