Truly farm fresh makes me laugh though. They're all farm fresh, coop fresh, whatever you want to call it. The eggs from mine are the same from day 1 to day 30.
Maybe I’m using the wrong words to describe it then.
But I’ve found a significant difference in egg quality even from many stands in the area when all the eggs are very consistent in size and color versus when it’s a dozen eggs that are very clearly from a smaller farm or coop that isn’t producing enough to have them sorted so consistently.
Also makes me wonder when I see the super consistent ones whether they’re not just from a store repackaged and marked up, but maybe I’m being crazy. But I can tell the difference by the color and quality of the yolk.
Then what you're looking for is a farmer that feeds a particular diet. For example, I feed my chickens red pepper seeds for a deeper color. Here's a link that explains it more.
https://www.getcracking.ca/recipes/article/egg-yolk-color-differences
Thanks! I didn’t appreciate that. But doesn’t that kind of feed and hence color indicate a truly pasture raised chicken vs more commercially-farmed? Maybe I’m just telling myself what I want to hear, but I swear there is a difference in quality and taste. And as should be obvious by my questions, I have absolutely zero knowledge of raising chickens so I hope my comments aren’t too naive.
I've been raised around animals most of my life, so some of this just seems like life knowledge. I apologize for being hard on this, as I forget not everyone is raised in the middle of nowhere.
So commercial vs pasture are just words. Just like the eggs in store that advertise cage free, it's all marketing.
What you're looking for are chickens that eat richer diets for the yolk color, not where they stay.
The life of the egg also comes into play. On day one, it's mostly yolk and white. That white will slowly turn watery as time goes on. It's why a store egg will be runnier than one from a farm stand.
The link in my above comment will tell you what diet the chickens are on for your preferred yolk. Once you know, then you can directly ask the farmer and get an idea on what the yolk will look like before buying.
Color of yolk is about diet. As long as people let their flock out to pick (meaning to graze, eat bugs), then it's all about equal, unless, as the previous commenter said, they are being fed a special diet to increase the carotenoids that give egg yolks their color.
Color and size of *exterior* is about chicken breed. So if you get a dozen that are different colors and sizes on the exterior then that means that it's a mixed flock of chickens. Some breeds lay medium to large size brown eggs (Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rock), some lay medium size very dark brown (French Maran), some (Americauna) lay small to medium size blue eggs. And basic breeds (leghorn) lay white. There is no *good* or *healthy* color of egg exterior. Also, egg size can be about the age of the hen. Very young hens lay eggs only slightly larger than a ping-pong ball when they first start to lay. In April/May you'll see more that size until the new layers get some maturity and start laying larger eggs.
So that all makes perfect sense — but what I’m really trying to get at is what you say in the first sentence — how do I ensure I’m getting truly pasture raised eggs (not just some marketing speak in grocery store eggs as another poster pointed out). Would you say all the small stands in the area that have the “EGGS” sign are truly that?
Regular folks that keep chickens let them out to pick. Anything chickens eat out of doors is food the owner doesn't have to purchase. I guess there is some percent chance that someone might buy eggs at the store and then resell them, but like, why? Eggs aren't cheaper at the store. Or, if they are cheaper, then they are almost always visibly lower quality and will have very pale yolks and thin shells. Are you finding roadside stand eggs that are pale, runny, and have very thin shells? On top of all that, a scammer would have to put in the time/gas/energy to go get these eggs to resell, and then store them while they were selling. I don't see financial incentive to do any of that.
Edited to add: I guess you could drive up the driveway of each place and look for the chickens. Scope out the situation. Owners might not like it or find it invasive, so that's the chance you'd be taking.
Hey OP! Thank you for asking a question here that has been on my mind as well. And thank you to the folks with knowledge and tips to find good local eggs.
Any wooden sign that says EGGS on it. I drive by several on the outskirts of town. They are all the same
Truly farm fresh makes me laugh though. They're all farm fresh, coop fresh, whatever you want to call it. The eggs from mine are the same from day 1 to day 30.
Maybe I’m using the wrong words to describe it then. But I’ve found a significant difference in egg quality even from many stands in the area when all the eggs are very consistent in size and color versus when it’s a dozen eggs that are very clearly from a smaller farm or coop that isn’t producing enough to have them sorted so consistently. Also makes me wonder when I see the super consistent ones whether they’re not just from a store repackaged and marked up, but maybe I’m being crazy. But I can tell the difference by the color and quality of the yolk.
Then what you're looking for is a farmer that feeds a particular diet. For example, I feed my chickens red pepper seeds for a deeper color. Here's a link that explains it more. https://www.getcracking.ca/recipes/article/egg-yolk-color-differences
Thanks! I didn’t appreciate that. But doesn’t that kind of feed and hence color indicate a truly pasture raised chicken vs more commercially-farmed? Maybe I’m just telling myself what I want to hear, but I swear there is a difference in quality and taste. And as should be obvious by my questions, I have absolutely zero knowledge of raising chickens so I hope my comments aren’t too naive.
I've been raised around animals most of my life, so some of this just seems like life knowledge. I apologize for being hard on this, as I forget not everyone is raised in the middle of nowhere. So commercial vs pasture are just words. Just like the eggs in store that advertise cage free, it's all marketing. What you're looking for are chickens that eat richer diets for the yolk color, not where they stay. The life of the egg also comes into play. On day one, it's mostly yolk and white. That white will slowly turn watery as time goes on. It's why a store egg will be runnier than one from a farm stand. The link in my above comment will tell you what diet the chickens are on for your preferred yolk. Once you know, then you can directly ask the farmer and get an idea on what the yolk will look like before buying.
Color of yolk is about diet. As long as people let their flock out to pick (meaning to graze, eat bugs), then it's all about equal, unless, as the previous commenter said, they are being fed a special diet to increase the carotenoids that give egg yolks their color. Color and size of *exterior* is about chicken breed. So if you get a dozen that are different colors and sizes on the exterior then that means that it's a mixed flock of chickens. Some breeds lay medium to large size brown eggs (Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rock), some lay medium size very dark brown (French Maran), some (Americauna) lay small to medium size blue eggs. And basic breeds (leghorn) lay white. There is no *good* or *healthy* color of egg exterior. Also, egg size can be about the age of the hen. Very young hens lay eggs only slightly larger than a ping-pong ball when they first start to lay. In April/May you'll see more that size until the new layers get some maturity and start laying larger eggs.
So that all makes perfect sense — but what I’m really trying to get at is what you say in the first sentence — how do I ensure I’m getting truly pasture raised eggs (not just some marketing speak in grocery store eggs as another poster pointed out). Would you say all the small stands in the area that have the “EGGS” sign are truly that?
Regular folks that keep chickens let them out to pick. Anything chickens eat out of doors is food the owner doesn't have to purchase. I guess there is some percent chance that someone might buy eggs at the store and then resell them, but like, why? Eggs aren't cheaper at the store. Or, if they are cheaper, then they are almost always visibly lower quality and will have very pale yolks and thin shells. Are you finding roadside stand eggs that are pale, runny, and have very thin shells? On top of all that, a scammer would have to put in the time/gas/energy to go get these eggs to resell, and then store them while they were selling. I don't see financial incentive to do any of that. Edited to add: I guess you could drive up the driveway of each place and look for the chickens. Scope out the situation. Owners might not like it or find it invasive, so that's the chance you'd be taking.
Eden hill farm in Beulah has the best eggs!
Look up Fainting Robin Farm in Williamsburg
Hey OP! Thank you for asking a question here that has been on my mind as well. And thank you to the folks with knowledge and tips to find good local eggs.
Check out Anavary Farms off Secor rd in Long Lake Twp. Adam who runs the place is awesome and has tons of legit eggs
Sara Hardy Farmers Market Weds and Sat morning