Omega-3 Eggs

[Chick_a_dee]

We are in tough competition now with this petty group of egg sales people up the road, they're selling jumbo (they appear to have a load of Jersey Giants) brown eggs at $2.50/dozen. Lucky for me, most of the people around here prefer medium and large for baking as the jumbos are too much. I feed my girls Purina Layena feed and they free-range all day long. What can I feed them to make their eggs Omega-3 eggs? I know you can add something! And I also know you can purchase Omega-3 feeds but we can't get them locally.

 

[ninny]

Flax seed maybe? Id like to know as well.

 

[PAJerry]

Flax seed. I have read that you need to feed up to 3% of total ration. I mix about that in my regular feed but don't have any proof that the eggs have more Omega-3. It is good to add anyway since it boosts the protein. Try to find it bulk at a feed mill. I got it for about $.65 per pound bulk as compared to $1.49 per pound at the food co-op.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

The previous owner here produced omega-3 eggs for our organic co-op. The co-op paid about $0.20 more per dozen for large, omega-3 eggs, (close to $2.00 vs $1.80 for regular large), but he said that the hens didn't do as well, production wise, on the omega ration. Although he probably grossed $11,000 more a year on the omega eggs (55,000 dz eggs), the omega fortified ration was expensive and with lower production he felt he probably just broke even.

But that was his economics, he had a market for the eggs either way. If it helps you sell more eggs, give it a try. You could probably find somebody to do an analysis, if any of your customers really care. It would probably do just as well to explain that you fed them the flax seed to boost omega-3s. I'm not aware of any legalities involving minimum levels to actually qualify them as "Omega-3 Fortified". It would probably suffice just to say that they have more omega-3's than a conventional egg.