This is a really touchy subject here........ so be ready for some strong replies!
Now that the whole "organic" trend is becoming more mainstream, lots and lots of businesses and people are trying to benefit financially and calling stuff "organic" that's not really what "organic" meant when it was devised years ago. Even the USDA Certified Organic labeling is suspect as it allows many loopholes that big agri-biz companies can use to call their stuff organic when its really not raised in the sustainable, humane, etc manner that organic traditionally meant.
So, my understanding is that, basically, you can't really call your eggs "ORGANIC EGGS" unless the chicks were NEVER fed anything but certified organic feed, never given commercial meds (no vaccinations), have only every been fed certified organic feed, and if they free range the field thay range on must be certified by some agency as organic, with no treated wood in their coop, etc. It is hard to do all this. You can't ever have fed them regular chicken feed or table scraps not certified organic.
BUT--- if you are basically doing things organically, feeding organic layer feed and organically-grown vegs from your own garden, and don't use any pesticides/herbicides where they range, etc.... maybe you could say something like, "Free range hens fed organic feed, no antibiotics" (if that's all true).
In my neck of the woods, consumers are fast becoming pretty saavy about labeling and understand that local eggs with a label like that are usually MUCH better than the "USDA certified Organic" eggs from a big factory farm that they get at the supermarket. Before our girls started laying enough for us, I was buying eggs at the health-food store from a local farm that mostly produces organic vegetables. The eggs are labeled, "Free Range Eggs from X Farm; raising prganic milk, organic vegetables, organic lamb"..... I feel pretty comfortable with that even though its not "USDA certified organic".
Just my 2 cents!
Stacey
