Organic eggs??

[kstaven]

In the scheme of things, and if you look at it seriously, most of us that have chickens that are allowed to free range really have a product that is more "organic" and better quality than the so called organic you see in the stores.

The term Organic has really been diluted from its origination and is more of a marketing ploy than a better standard for chickens and eggs. IMHO

 

[McGoo]

I heard that even if you use any pressure treated wood that your chickens can come in contact with, that you would not meet organic certification. I did not realize that the wood is chemically treated with arsenic.

 

[MNKris]

We sold organic eggs for two years, and believe me, it is a pain. Your chickens would not be considered organic and you can actually get fined if you label them as such.

To be organic,

1) chicks must be raised organically with 100% certified food from their 2nd day of life. "Organic" means no genetically modified, no pesticides or herbicides on the grain when it was raised and that it came from organic seed. You must keep all your organic feed tags for the inspectors to review.
2) Chicks may be vaccinated prior to day 2 of life.
3) Bedding must be certified organic.
4) No green treat anywhere
5) Chickens must have a minimum of 10 sq ft per bird and chickens must have access to the outdoors unless weather does not permit. Some organic associations actually require free range which means your land has to be certified that they are grazing on as well. We found an org that didn't require that because our horses needed to be wormed and treated with meds as needed. We kept our flock in a confined area that was virgin ground.
6) Sick chickens must be culled from the flock, not medicated. If you choose to medicate a chicken, it must be separated and confined from the rest of your flock.
7) Eggs must be candled following USDA standards.
8) Strict records must be kept to show production rates.
9) Very strict cleaning supplies also. There are lists of acceptable cleaning supplies on the NOA's website.

All this, and we only sold about 20 dozen eggs a week. Like I said, it was a pain

 

[SeaChick]

Other selling points (taken from sgg cartons from our local supermarket... these are not the normal eggs, but the premium, one-step-down-from-organic
-CAGE FREE
-FREE RANGE (if that's so)]
-NO HORMONES, DRUGS, OR ANTIBIOTICS (if that's so)
-HAPPY HENS NOT FED ANY ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS

As a natural-foods consumer who tries to eat as locally and as organically as possible, I always ask farmers who aren't certified organic about their actual practices. What I look for is:
---least amount of antibiotic use possible, i.e. never as a preventative, only for a sick animal, and then in the case of beef or pork I'd want to know, Most farmers can tell me they haven't had to use antibiotics since 2002 or whatever...
--- free range/cage free/ REAL access to outdoors (some industrial organic chicken factories just have one tiny door they open for the last week of the broilers' lives, when the birds have no idea what it is so most never use it... that's wrong and a way that big agriculture is co-opting the true organic movement by bending the rules!)
--- NO GMOs in feed. This is really important to a lot of folks, and unfortunately unless you buy certified organic crains/feed or grow your own, nearly impossible to avoid. Genetically Modified Corn makes up like 99.99999% of the feed corn grown in the U.S. The turkey we found for Thanksgiving is free-range, not organic, but guaranteed no GMOs, so I'm OK with that.

 

[DuckLady]

My biz card says "Free Range-Cage Free-Spoiled Rotten" LOL

Organic is a lifestyle more than a label. Kudos to those who do it. It takes a dedication unparalleled. (I don't have it)

 

[speckledhen]

Hey, SeaChick, remember that if the chickens freerange, they're getting animal protein. They eat lizards, frogs, mice, snakes and bugs of all kinds...and are healthier for it.

 

[debashan]

So then new chicks that were fed w/ medicated starter will never in their lifetime be considered "organic"? Like I said it seems like a lot of work to truly be organic, but i feel totally lucky to eat my own eggs and believe that they are great quality. I soooo love the labels, did you guys make those on your computer? Thanx, Debbie

 

[rosyposyosy]

My first 2 chickens aren't organic, but with my last one, she has been on organic feed her entire life. Free ranging (from the egg companies) only mean that they are given access to outside. Most of the hens never see outside, and if they do, its just a concrete slab. My 2 older chickens have been on organic feed since they were 2 and a half months old, so I consider them organic, my 15 wk old has been on organic her entire life, so when she starts to lay, they will be organic. My chickens have access to the outside, so they are free range. Luckily I'm not working at an egg company, so they scratch around in well, what's now dirt, but flowers are starting to grow back.

I am proud to say I have Organic Free Range Eggs.

 

[SeaChick]

Hi Speckled Hen,

Were you referring to the "no animal by-products" line? I find that important because it means the hens aren't fed any ground-up scrpas of conventionally-raise feedlot beef or pork which might contain liver/fat concentrations of chemicals, drugs, hormones, or brains; also no brains re: mad cow disease. I know that some eggs claim "all-vegetarian feed" which obviously you can't claim for free rangers.... and personally I don't care about. The more bugs the better! It's the animal by-products that I mind.

Stacey

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Depends, if their medicated feed was orgainic, and you are sticking with it, and never gave them non organic treats, then they can be organic.

I say phoey to that whole organic thing and say that happy healthy hens are what matters.

Edit: Chickens can't get mad cow disease. I say animal bi products are good for them as they are omnivores and need the nutrients... but we all have different trains of thought.