An egg is an egg is an egg. Or is it?

I understand why so many people associate white eggs with the bad grocery store eggs however it has nothing to do with the egg being white.  Egg shells come in over 60 different colors, all based on the breed of the bird.  Some of you may have noticed that recently we have had green and blue eggs. 

What makes the eggs you buy from me better then the ones the grocery store sells?  Even though the grocery store eggs may claim, farm fresh, free range, cage free, organic, etc......  Eggs purchased in the grocery store are 3 to 9 months old.  The farms are not running to the store with 10 or 20 dozen eggs at a time.  They are holding their eggs until they have thousands to ship at one time.

Farm fresh means that it goes from the farm to the grocery store.  It does not mean it goes there quickly.  Free range means that the chickens are all in a barn with a small opening in the wall that they "can" go out for 20 minutes a day.  Cage free is the same without the option to go outside.  Organic just means they receive an organic grain mix.  It has nothing to do with how they are raised or treated.  When we say free range we mean that the hens are outside just being chickens.  Yes they do have a hen house that they can go into whenever they want but spend most of their day outside on pasture.

I am sure you have noticed that not only do the eggs taste better but the shells are harder and the yolks look different then those in the grocery store.  Part of a chickens balanced diet is grit and oyster shell.  These two items should be left out for the chickens to eat whenever they need to.  These two items are extremely expensive and not provided to the hens in commercial confinement.  It is the grit and oyster shell that strengthens the shells.

Egg yolks should stand up.  The color of the yolk should be a true yellow to a deep orange depending on the time of year.  Have you ever noticed that grocery store eggs yolks are a very pale yellow?????  The yolk color changes based on the amount of protein the chicken eats.  Outside chickens are eating bugs and worms and are getting a higher level of protein thus their yolks turn from a deeper yellow to almost an orange color.

If you have any additional egg questions I will be happy to answer them.