Organic eggs??

[ctjim]

imo the organic stuff is overated. esp some of the veggies i see at local markets, they all seem to have a look to them thats a bit off. enough on that, i think that the best way is to buy localy grown goodies, as you get a real sense of where your food is and how its produced, anyone can go to the grocery store and buy "organic" or even conventional, but many people really don't realize all the work envolved in its production. becoming certified organic is a huge undertaking as there are some strict rules that need to be followed. imo a real pain in the butt. i market my eggs as "farm fresh eggs from free-ranging hillbilly hens". i guess its a catchy ploy? i just started in the egg market and only have about 4 customers. they mostly all want the freshest product and also know that the hens are well cared for, and not on some "factory" farm.

 

[McGoo]

I agree. Buy local, and if you can't get it local, buy organic. The hardest thing is that organic is expensive and if people can't buy local it's sometimes cost prohibitive to buy organic.

I'm not trying to be political here, but that's why we need to fight for a good farm bill and educate the public on what is going on. Hopefully the people will speak.

 

[speckledhen]

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.

I was seeing "no animal products", not "by-products". The feeds I use do have porcine protein, which I do think it the natural way of things for chickens, but not from ruminants, which would be what you may be referring to with the mad cow. Of course, chickens don't get mad cow, as silkiechicken said. They will do well on either one, probably, but do better in general with some animal protein. And I'm not sold on organic anything, as defined by the FDA, USDA or whoever gets to define it. Our naturally raised birds on BYC are healthier in general than commercial chickens, whether defined as organic or not.

Debbie, yes, I used a simple PrintShop program for my labels and printed it on my HP printer.​

 

[MNKris]

Typical medicated feeds do not qualify as organic and may not be fed to organic layers. There are actually very few medicines that qualify for organic standards. Instead, medicinal methods include things like garlic, red pepper, etc. (all must be certified organic).

Remember also, if you free range, your property must be certified organic as well. To get certified, you have to have your property free of herbicides/pesticides for the last 3 years and then there is a "transition" period. That means no spraying weeds, no garden sprays except pepper sprays or other certified organic sprays, no lawn fertilizers, etc. It's very strict. In some instances people lose their organic status if their neighbors spray and there is drift over onto their property too.

Most organic organizations discourage use of plastic carton too.

Although I practice as many organic standards as I can, being truly organic is very difficult by the national organic standards.

 

[DuckLady]

Lots of good info, Kris! I didn't know about the neighbors being able to affect the status like that!

Remember folks, while you can claim anything you want, if someone challenges you, you will have to back it up. And claiming Organic when you are not or considering your eggs organic for whatever reason is unfair to all who work so hard for their Organic status.

 

[Alexis]

Deciding to "go organic" with your chickens is a huge decision that can't be taken lightly.

We decided with our first flock that we wanted to have organic eggs. Sounded simple enough! We would give them organic layer pellets and let them free range. This worked out great because the field they were in was already certified organic by the farmer that had leased it from us for the last umpteen years (for produce). The difficulties came when we realized the large costs associated with their housing, the disinfecting, using non-pressure treated fenceposts for the yard, making sure they didn't "free range" near the barrier fence by the road (as those weeds get sprayed annually) and all sorts of other pains in the rear.

The costs of being certified are huge for a small flock owner like myself, and then the return from "organic eggs" was so miniscule in comparison that it just seemed like an unwise decision for our family finances. Most people in my area don't care if their eggs are organic as long as they are cage free, happy chickens who don't get fed all sorts of junk or chemicals. I can charge almost as much as organic, but without the stress! Now there's a happy chicken OWNER too!

It's a personal decision, and I give high respect to those who go to all the trouble of organic. There's a lot of hard work, and dedication that goes into it.

 

[Nichole77]

Technically, as long as they are fed some organics they can be called organic. so if you feed them organic carrots for treats they can be called organic. Now, if you want them to be certified organic you must jump through hoops and be inspected and feed nothing but certified organic. Call them all natural, that means nothing but sounds good.

 

[Alexis]

Quote:
Agreed. Claiming organic and not actually being organic is like claiming you're a chicken because you sat on an egg once.

 

[marilyn1954]

Debashan I do exactly what you do just sell them as FREE RANGE EGGS. And when your customers as, you can tell them you feed them table scraps, non medicated feed, and they free range all day. They are stress free also, as they actually get to act like chickens act wit no interference. Personally I think they are happier chickens than any other kind. JUST MY OPINION which means nothing to anyone else but me. LOL:cd