What type of eggs do you like best?

[PioneerChicks]

Hi, I am making an article about store eggs vs. farm eggs, and I am wondering what type of eggs everyone likes, and some of the best brands. I'm guessing that most people on BYC use eggs from their own backyard, but if you have to use eggs from the store (like if most your chickens are molting or something) what kind do you choose? Here are the options, vote in the poll the one(s) you use:

-Caged: chickens kept in crowded cages with barely enough room to turn around, fed antibiotics to prevent diseases.

-Cage free: chickens run loose in a barn with about one square foot of space per bird.

-Free range: kept in the same conditions as cage free chickens, except they have access to the outdoors, which may range from a large field to a small pen on concrete.

-Organic chickens are fed a certain diet from the time they are chicks. They never have antibiotics or
chemicals of any sort. This is the most strict type of brand. They aren't aloud to be in cages, and have to have access to outside.

-Pastured chickens are supposed to live in a pasture during the day, but there are no rules for this, making it slightly risky, but if you know of a trustworthy company it is one of the best options.


What I mean by type is caged, free range, cage free, as listed above. By brand I mean a certain company, such as "The Happy Egg", "Vital Farms", or "Organic Valley".
(Also, I am referring to chickens in this, but these terms are also used for quail, ducks, geese, and turkeys.)

No criticizing or flaming to anybody for their choice of type or brand!!!
Please post your opinion below (politely), along with your favorite brands that you know you can trust.

 

[Redhead Rae]

We eat our own organic fed, pastured eggs. If our chickens aren't producing I order them from the same place I get my raw milk.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

If ever having to buy them in the store, I always look for free-range organic if I could. Can't think of a particular brand off hand

 

[kiwi-chick]

now that I have my own chickens, if they are not laying - I am not eating eggs!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I was buying them from a local farm, certified organic and pasture raised. So far I haven't needed to this fall, I stopped giving away eggs at the start of September and still have one lone layer popping out an egg every 3 days or so, so have about 3 dozen still.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Thanks everyone for offering your opinions and voting! Here is a link to the article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/store-eggs-vs-farm-eggs.75405/

More replies will always be welcome. Thanks everybody!

 

[Alaskan]

I vastly prefer eggs from my chickens... but if I have to buy eggs, I buy the least expensive ones.

 

[CindyinSD]

I believe the pastured label has yet to be coopted by “big chicken,” so I’ll go with that for now. If I run out of eggs in winter I’ll just turn on the lights. If I use lights judiciously, add a few new layers each year and rotate non-layers out, the eggless periods should be few and short. That’s the plan anyway.

 

[Henry&Friends]

If I have to resort to buying eggs, I buy the cheapest eggs
I’m spending too much on my egg layers already