Nowadays, conventional eggs come from warehouses where chickens are kept in small cages unable to stretch and roam around and see the light of day. They are often de-beaked to prevent them from attacking each other. I would get a little hostile if I were caged up all day too! The floors of the cages are slanted, so that as the hens lay eggs, they roll onto a conveyor belt to be collected. The end result is cheap eggs in large volume, but the eggs tend to be less nutritious, and more subject to contamination with bacteria. And then because the eggs are subject to contamination with bacteria, the hens are often fed drugs and medications, which in turns leads to more virulent, drug resistant forms of bacteria like Salmonella and E-coli.
Pastured and Cage Free Eggs on the other hand have been harvested from chickens allowed to roam in open pastures. They can walk around and dig and scratch in the ground for food like chickens do. Not only are the hens happier, the eggs they lay are more nutritious – richer in healthy stuff like omega 3 acids and vitamin C. They are also higher in vitamins A, D and K than conventional eggs. Pastured eggs come from hens that roam around outside, they eat grasses, grubs, worms, insects, and an assortment of edibles, which dramatically increase the nutrients in their eggs.
But the benefits of pastured eggs are not just health – pastured eggs TASTE BETTER (Duhaaa)! Their yolks are tall and orange, the whites are thick and they taste rich and fresh – like eggs are supposed to taste!
Nature’s Yolk eggs come from small local farms in the heart of Lancaster County, PA, and surrounding areas. These small scale farms have the ability to produce quality specialty eggs by utilizing careful farm management and hen care. They use no drugs or antibiotics to maintain hen health. Their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet with no animal fats or animal by-products in the feed and have the freedom to roam around and scratch about at will.
I would not have realized the difference in eggs had I not experienced it myself – Natures Yolk eggs are by far the best eggs I have ever eaten or baked with – my baked goods are so much richer and more flavorful than with conventional eggs. My husband says the eggs taste just like he remembers from growing up on a farm – now isn’t that sort of the point?
They are available at responsible retailers.
I hope you are lucky enough to have them in your area!