*Hides* I can't tell the difference between our eggs and store eggs..

[kareninthesun]

We have a local store nearby which sells what it calls farm fresh eggs, organically grown, free rangers. I scraped together a heap of cash, and gave blood for the same to afford to buy a dozen to compare them to what my friend gave me (before I had chickens). What a disappointment. I even looked at the experation date, and it was current...ALTHOUGH if you buy eggs from any store, never depend on that. I used to be a grocery store asst manager and we all would take broken eggs out and condense them together without ever checking dates. NOBODY ever suggested otherwise, and bringing the subject up with friends still in the grocery business, they look at me like I've lost my mind when I ask the question. They never thought about that either...

 

[Lightfoote]

Quote:
x2 (or maybe x3...) feeding chickens anything with natural chlorophyll content will result in richer-tasting, darker yellow egg yolks. Try offering them all the green stuff they will willingly eat. Watch them feed and take note of what they really go after the most and give them more of it. After a week or two of a diet bolstered by fresh green stuff, do a side-by-side visual comparison - crack a store bought "production" egg into one bowl, and one of your backyard eggs into another bowl. Natural light will show you the difference most readily, but it should be readily evident regardless. A taste test will likely tell you the rest of what you want to know. Nutritionally speaking, of course, there has not been shown to be a significant difference that I am aware of...

Lightfoote

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Quote:
There are many studies that prove that true free-range/pastured eggs are nutritionally superior to commercial eggs. There is more to the dark, rich yolks and the firm whites than looks.

Here's just a couple that I have found. The testing on Joel Salatin/Polyface Farms eggs was recently published, but I couldn't find it on my quick search:

Please help us spread the word — eggs from hens raised on pasture are far more nutritious than eggs from confined hens in factory farms.
LATEST RESULTS: New test results show that pastured egg producers are kicking the commercial industry's derriere when it comes to vitamin D! Eggs from hens raised on pasture show 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs. Learn more: Eggciting News!!!

RESULTS FROM OUR PREVIOUS STUDY: Eggs from hens allowed to peck on pasture are a heck of a lot better than those from chickens raised in cages! 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

These amazing results come from 14 flocks around the country that range freely on pasture or are housed in moveable pens that are rotated frequently to maximize access to fresh pasture and protect the birds from predators. We had six eggs from each of the 14 pastured flocks tested by an accredited laboratory in Portland, Ore. The chart in Meet the Real Free-range Eggs (October/November 2007) shows the average nutrient content of the samples, compared with the official egg nutrient data from the USDA for “conventional” (i.e. from confined hens) eggs. The chart lists the individual results from each flock.

Click to here for the Full Article and Egg Chart http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/Tests-Reveal-Healthier-Eggs.aspx

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx#ixzz1WRi4mTKz

 In 1974, the British Journal of Nutrition found that pastured eggs had 50 percent more folic acid

and 70 percent more vitamin B12 than eggs from factory farm hens.

 In 1988, Artemis Simopoulos, co-author of The Omega Diet, found pastured eggs in Greece

contained 13 times more omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids than U.S. commercial eggs.

 A 1998 study in Animal Feed Science and Technology found that pastured eggs had higher

omega-3s and vitamin E than eggs from caged hens.

 A 1999 study by Barb Gorski at Pennsylvania State University found that eggs from pastured

birds had 10 percent less fat, 34 percent less cholesterol, 40 percent more vitamin A, and four

times the omega-3s compared to the standard USDA data. Her study also tested pastured chicken

meat, and found it to have 21 percent less fat, 30 percent less saturated fat and 50 percent more

vitamin A than the USDA standard.

 In 2003, Heather Karsten at Pennsylvania State University compared eggs from two groups of Hy-

Line variety hens, with one kept in standard crowded factory farm conditions and the other on

mixed grass and legume pasture. The eggs had similar levels of fat and cholesterol, but the

pastured eggs had three times more omega-3s, 220 percent more vitamin E and 62 percent more

vitamin A than eggs from caged hens.

 The 2005 study Mother Earth News conducted of four heritage-breed pastured flocks in Kansas

found that pastured eggs had roughly half the cholesterol, 50 percent more vitamin E, and three

times more beta carotene.

 The 2007 results from 14 producers are shown here.

http://www.windyridgepoultry.com/pastured_eggs1.pdf​

 

[Aemelia]

I have a RIR, a Production Red and a Silver Lace Wyandotte all hatchery quality. They like the think weedy grass that grows in my yard so my daughter and I pull that up for them every day. I pulled up a whole lot more recently though when I figured out they would eat more than we were giving them.

 

[rsarns]

I cannot free range here... even though I have enough property. Too many loose dogs and cats (not mine), let alone the natural predators, coyotes, hawks, eagles and racoons etc.... However I built a 24x24 run thinking that they wouldm always have grass..LOL Now the kids and I pick clover and grass for them several times a day... they love it. ALong with they get table scraps and treats. THe run I am building off my breeders coop is going to be 30x14, but will only have 7-10 birds in it. I only have 1 of my 20 hens in that coop which is laying, and her egg yolks are way darker than a store bought egg, much more flavorable and firm egg whites. She has only been laying 3 days, and has provided a nice brown egg (small) each day. Can't weait for the rest of them slackers to start paying for their keep also!

 

[marty8587]

For me they are far better, the youlks are deeper colored and stand up higher as well as the whites don't run all over the pan. With all I've invested in this pleasure I may think mine are better cause I think I've got them down to $75.00 a dozen so far but still worth it!!

 

[Courtney134]

I've only had 6 eggs so far, and I didn't get to eat any of them today. But my kids seemed to really like them. I was really surprised by the color of the yolks.. like a dark orange, and they are nearly IMPOSSIBLE to crack. And once I do crack them, they're still really hard to get to actually open. Also, it was kinda weird that when I dropped them in the pan, the whites stayed together. Obviously, this was my first experience with super fresh eggs. My chickies only get to free range about 5 hours a day, due to a dog that would like to eat them.

 

[Miyashi]

I'm a smoker and I can tell....I can taste and smell a lot of things despite popular belief on that whole thing.
I'm not a person who lives in my smoke though...I smoke outside...I get really grumpy when I leave someone's house and they smoke in it because I leave wreaking of it.
ANYHOW!

The things I really noticed when I first started getting eggs from my girls...
The yolks are thicker and darker. The taste of the yolk is way more rich than the store eggs.
My birds eat a lot of grass. They get a lot of garden scraps and kitchen scraps along with their normal layer feed.
I noticed over the winter when garden scraps were gone, their eggs weren't as delicious as they were in the summer months, but still better than the store in my opinion.
I dunno!

 

[openheartnp]

Quote:
No comparison is right! I love having the boys come in with "OOPS mom, I dropped ono and it cracked", that's mine, all mine! LOL They don't smell heavily of "egg" when you cook them. Even hard boiling doesn't have much of an odor. And I feel the taste is lighter, I'd hate to say sweeter, maybe less sour would do.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
That's exactly what I think! I never said so here on BYC though... Was afraid.