For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
superior, but other than that.........

Do you buy cage free? Why?

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
> I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
> superior, but other than that.........
>
> Do you buy cage free? Why?

For the comfort of the birds ...

--
--

http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

On May 24, 9:25*am, Kalmia > wrote:
> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> in another pan. *Same timing, same heat level.
> I could not tell a difference in taste. *They may be nutritionally
> superior, but other than that.........
>
> Do you buy cage free? *Why?

two reasons, they are nutritionally superiour, and they are not caged.

On May 24, 6:25*am, Kalmia > wrote:
> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> in another pan. *Same timing, same heat level.
> I could not tell a difference in taste. *They may be nutritionally
> superior, but other than that.........
>
> Do you buy cage free? *Why?

I not only buy "cage free"....which sometimes is not much better than
caged birds depending on the producer...I try to buy 'pastured'
eggs. Those are eggs from chickens that are allowed to be out on the
grass, not just in a huge poultry house which is usually crowded and
dusty and filthy.

"Cage free" is more an advertising gimmick than actual humane
treatment in the case of very large producers.

Pastured eggs and pastured beef are my preference, both from the
nutrition standpoint and from the comfort and health of the animals.

Kalmia > wrote:

>For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
>crammed hens, maybe).

Just a small point-- 'cage free' doesn't mean they can't be cramped
or treated cruelly. They still get their beaks burned off. Free
range is less restrictive.

If you want cruelty free eggs find a local who raises pet chickens.
[or raise your own if you can]

>-- Instread of I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
>in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
>I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
>superior, but other than that.........

I see a marked difference in appearance [and to a lesser extent,
taste] between 'factory' eggs and small farm eggs--- but wouldn't
pay extra for 'special' factory eggs.

>
>Do you buy cage free? Why

Nope- I buy from the farmer on occasion.

Jim

Kalmia wrote:
>
> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
> I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
> superior, but other than that.........
>
> Do you buy cage free? Why?

I would imagine just to support the happy chicken's eggs.
Personally, I don't give it a thought. I just buy eggs as I need them.

Gary

In article <ac50e268-9ba6-401a-ad10-c8bd208553d1
@pr7g2000pbb.googlegroups.com>, says...
>
> On May 24, 6:25*am, Kalmia > wrote:
> > For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> > crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> > in another pan. *Same timing, same heat level.
> > I could not tell a difference in taste. *They may be nutritionally
> > superior, but other than that.........
> >
> > Do you buy cage free? *Why?
>
> I not only buy "cage free"....which sometimes is not much better than
> caged birds depending on the producer...I try to buy 'pastured'
> eggs. Those are eggs from chickens that are allowed to be out on the
> grass, not just in a huge poultry house which is usually crowded and
> dusty and filthy.
>
> "Cage free" is more an advertising gimmick than actual humane
> treatment in the case of very large producers.
>
> Pastured eggs and pastured beef are my preference, both from the
> nutrition standpoint and from the comfort and health of the animals.

.... and the flavour.

Janet

In article <450be7b4-68f7-4a92-a506-d43e9c2a2095
@m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>, says...
>
> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
> I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
> superior, but other than that.........
>
> Do you buy cage free? Why?

No. I buy free range, not "cage free in a barn".

Janet

Mr. Moose wrote:

> > Do you buy cage free? *Why?
>
> two reasons, they are nutritionally superiour

Are not.

In article >, ost
says...
>
> On Thu, 24 May 2012 10:49:43 -0400, Gary wrote:
>
> > Kalmia wrote:
> >
> >> Do you buy cage free? Why?
> >
> > I would imagine just to support the happy chicken's eggs.
>
> Happy Chickens and Happy Chicken Eggs are an oxymoron. Happy chickens
> would be getting laid. And happy eggs would be fertilized.
>
> No matter how case free or free-range a hen is, they're pretty
> stressed out from not getting laid.

I can only think you've never seen chicken sex. Course, if you blinked
no wonder you missed it.

Janet.

On Thu, 24 May 2012 06:25:52 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

>For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
>crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
>in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
>I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
>superior, but other than that.........
>
>Do you buy cage free? Why?

Chicken physiology does not permit nutritional change to occur in eggs
regardless of free range or caged, nor flavor, only yolk color changes
with feed... Mother Nature saw to that eons ago for maintaining
reproduction. Chicken eggs do vary however with the age of the
chicken, as do mammal eggs. Free range chicken is purely a marketing
device, hype for extracting more dollars from those with fewer brain
cells. If anything caged chickens are much more likely to be disease
free as will their eggs. And naturally folks who spend double for
eggs will swear they taste better... same as the ignorant peons said
about The Emperor's New Clothes

On May 24, 8:07*am, Janet > wrote:
> In article <450be7b4-68f7-4a92-a506-d43e9c2a2095
> @m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>, says...
>
>
>
> > For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> > crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> > in another pan. *Same timing, same heat level.
> > I could not tell a difference in taste. *They may be nutritionally
> > superior, but other than that.........
>
> > Do you buy cage free? *Why?
>
> *No. I buy free range, not "cage free in a barn".
>
> *Janet

Same here.

On May 24, 8:14*am, George M. Middius > wrote:
> Mr. Moose wrote:
> > > Do you buy cage free? *Why?
>
> > two reasons, they are nutritionally superiour
>
> Are not.

Are too!

On May 24, 10:36*am, ImStillMags > wrote:
> On May 24, 6:25*am, Kalmia > wrote:
>
> > For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> > crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> > in another pan. *Same timing, same heat level.
> > I could not tell a difference in taste. *They may be nutritionally
> > superior, but other than that.........
>
> > Do you buy cage free? *Why?
>
> I not only buy "cage free"....which sometimes is not much better than
> caged birds depending on the producer...I try to buy 'pastured'
> eggs. * Those are eggs from chickens that are allowed to be out on the
> grass, not just in a huge poultry house which is usually crowded and
> dusty and filthy.
>
> "Cage free" is more an advertising gimmick than actual humane
> treatment in the case of very large producers.
>
> Pastured eggs and pastured beef are my preference, both from the
> nutrition standpoint and from the comfort and health of the animals.

I purchase only free range eggs. I didn't realize that cage free
meant they were still in a barn all night and day.

On May 24, 12:12*pm, Chemo the Clown > wrote:
> On May 24, 8:14*am, George M. Middius > wrote:
>
> > Mr. Moose wrote:
> > > > Do you buy cage free? *Why?
>
> > > two reasons, they are nutritionally superiour
>
> > Are not.
>
> Are too!

Maybe George has a point. I was actually referring to free range
eggs, and not cage free. I guess cage free chickens still get fed the
same run of the mill food as caged eggs do.

Chemo the Clown wrote:
>
> On May 24, 8:07 am, Janet > wrote:
> > In article <450be7b4-68f7-4a92-a506-d43e9c2a2095
> > @m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>, says...
> >
> >
> >
> > > For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> > > crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> > > in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
> > > I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
> > > superior, but other than that.........
> >
> > > Do you buy cage free? Why?
> >
> > No. I buy free range, not "cage free in a barn".
> >
> > Janet
>
> Same here.

Perhaps it's a nice barn though...with pool tables, swimming pool, all you
can eat seed bar, etc etc. No barn is the same. Not all chicken farmers are
evil.

Gary

"Gary" > wrote in message ...
> Chemo the Clown wrote:
>>
>> On May 24, 8:07 am, Janet > wrote:
>> > In article <450be7b4-68f7-4a92-a506-d43e9c2a2095
>> > @m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>, says...
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > > For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
>> > > crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
>> > > in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
>> > > I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
>> > > superior, but other than that.........
>> >
>> > > Do you buy cage free? Why?
>> >
>> > No. I buy free range, not "cage free in a barn".
>> >
>> > Janet
>>
>> Same here.
>
> Perhaps it's a nice barn though...with pool tables, swimming pool, all you
> can eat seed bar, etc etc. No barn is the same. Not all chicken farmers
> are
> evil.

lol

--
--

http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> And if the chickens don't feel that stress, then they
> probably aren't sentient enough to mind being caged up and having
> their beaks burned either.

"having their beaks burned?" Now that's disturbing. Why would that be
necessary? I'll google it to find out. >;-[]

Gary

On Thu, 24 May 2012 13:21:33 -0400, Gary > wrote:

>Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>> And if the chickens don't feel that stress, then they
>> probably aren't sentient enough to mind being caged up and having
>> their beaks burned either.
>
>"having their beaks burned?" Now that's disturbing. Why would that be
>necessary? I'll google it to find out. >;-[]

Chickens are mean to each other. We raised fryers once when I was a
kid. Agway was giving them away with a 50lb bag of feed. Sounded
like a deal at the time. We only did it once.

Several ended up on the *very* bottom of the pecking order. Because
there was no place to run, they were pecked to death. Yuck.

Jim

On 24/05/2012 2:52 PM, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
like a deal at the time. We only did it once.
>
> Several ended up on the *very* bottom of the pecking order. Because
> there was no place to run, they were pecked to death. Yuck.
>


Some people are unaware of a process done to hatchlings while others
misunderstand the reason for it. Newly hatched chickens are debeaked.
About 1/2 of the beak is snipped off. While it sounds cruel, it is done
to prevent them from harming, even killing and eating each other.

On Thursday, May 24, 2012 10:04:46 AM UTC-6, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Thu, 24 May 2012 06:25:52 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> > wrote:
>
> >For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> >crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> >in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
> >I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
> >superior, but other than that.........
> >
> >Do you buy cage free? Why?
>
> Chicken physiology does not permit nutritional change to occur in eggs
> regardless of free range or caged, nor flavor, only yolk color changes
> with feed... Mother Nature saw to that eons ago for maintaining
> reproduction. Chicken eggs do vary however with the age of the
> chicken, as do mammal eggs. Free range chicken is purely a marketing
> device, hype for extracting more dollars from those with fewer brain
> cells. If anything caged chickens are much more likely to be disease
> free as will their eggs. And naturally folks who spend double for
> eggs will swear they taste better... same as the ignorant peons said
> about The Emperor's New Clothes

Nutritional value may not change but taste is influenced by the food consumed
by chickens. Feed a mixture of fish scraps or stinkweed and the taste of the
eggs may be quite disagreeable.

Kalmia wrote:
>
> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
> I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
> superior, but other than that.........
>
> Do you buy cage free? Why?

I once ate a fresh robin's egg. It tasted
just like a chicken's egg.

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
> I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
> superior, but other than that.........
>
> Do you buy cage free? Why?

I do because I believe it is nicer for the chickens.

Once i bought cage free and not so change.Usually buying that is not cage free..

Coworker brought me eggs from "her girls." I didnt like the eggs for
multiple reasons and I know she didnt care about the nutritional quality
of "her girls." It was just another way to earn extra money.

Pastured sounds great but I've never seen that word on eggs in any
store.

My mom has always been cheap-last time I was there I went to crack open
eggs-the shells were incredibly thin the whites like water and the yolks
funny color. I told her to stop buying those. Healthy eggs have strong
thick shells. Fresh eggs when cracked open "sit up" and don't spread
out. Old eggs spread out.

I buy by price-I figure the most expensive is just a marketing ploy and
the cheapest are cheap for a reason. Cage-free sounds good until you
have actually seen a chicken farm. Does the FDA define what a cage is???
Is it chicken wire, boards and batting, plastic, or what???

ps I have seen ostrich eggs-how come I have never seen turkey eggs? Any
turkey eggxperts here? :-)

We buy directly from a farmer 1 mile up the road. The chickens greet you as you drive up the long driveway. The yolks stand up in the pan with no flat spots on top and are almost orange they are so full of goodness. Recently he has had duck eggs, which are bigger and even more delicious. I could never go back to store bought eggs. We have managed to find farmers to buy from everywhere we have lived. Look around, there is one near you too!!

On Sat, 26 May 2012 11:25:14 -0500, (z z) wrote:

-snip-
>
>Pastured sounds great but I've never seen that word on eggs in any
>store.

You'd have to find a store that caters to those who prefer their eggs
to be *truly* free range. Or buy direct from the farm.

>
>My mom has always been cheap-last time I was there I went to crack open
>eggs-the shells were incredibly thin the whites like water and the yolks
>funny color. I told her to stop buying those. Healthy eggs have strong
>thick shells.

Not necessarily-- the egg can be healthy, but the shell weak.

> Fresh eggs when cracked open "sit up" and don't spread
>out. Old eggs spread out.

We agree there- It is always fun to keep a batch of farm eggs in
the refrigerator for a month-- then go the grocery and buy their
freshest carton-- and see that the farm eggs are still fresher.

>
>I buy by price-I figure the most expensive is just a marketing ploy and
>the cheapest are cheap for a reason. Cage-free sounds good until you
>have actually seen a chicken farm. Does the FDA define what a cage is???
>Is it chicken wire, boards and batting, plastic, or what???

If you care how chickens are treated, then go see where *your* eggs
are coming from. Farmers can even cheat on free range chickens.
There is no regulation of what 'free range' really is-- nor how much
time a chicken must spend in that state to be called a free range
chicken.

I think that you'll find that cruelty free eggs are pretty darned
expensive for good reason-- it isn't just a marketing ploy. [though
I'm sure you'll find expensive eggs with great labels, but no truth
behind them.]

>
>ps I have seen ostrich eggs-how come I have never seen turkey eggs? Any
>turkey eggxperts here? :-)

Not a turkey eggspurt, but I've seen Turkey eggs at a farmer's market.
Cooper's Ark farm in Schoharie sells them-
http://www.schohariefarmer.com/farmpage/cooper.html
"eggs from flax fed chickens, pasture raised broilers, turkeys, and
occasional duck and guinea fowl"
[call before you make a trip to Schoharie-- I *think* they were high
enough to escape the floods of last summer-- but I haven't been to the
farmer's market this season, and don't know if they are still there]

I asked the farmer about the turkey eggs and he said they sold most of
them for the shells-- but the folks who bought them scrambled the egg
inside and said it was 'OK'.

Jim

Kalmia wrote:
> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
> in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
> I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
> superior, but other than that.........
>
> Do you buy cage free? Why?
>
Yes. I like to think of creatures leading decent lives. But note
that cage-free doesn't mean they are outdoors. I became aware of
that at an egg farm that I used to frequent. Where are the hens?
In the barn.

--
Jean B.

Janet wrote:
> In article <450be7b4-68f7-4a92-a506-d43e9c2a2095
> @m24g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>, says...
>> For some reason, I bought cage free eggs (feeling sorry for caged,
>> crammed hens, maybe). I scrambled one , and then a regular cheapo egg
>> in another pan. Same timing, same heat level.
>> I could not tell a difference in taste. They may be nutritionally
>> superior, but other than that.........
>>
>> Do you buy cage free? Why?
>
> No. I buy free range, not "cage free in a barn".
>
> Janet

Yes. I am ashamed to say that at first I thought cage free meant
they were actually outside in some semi-natural setting.

I also like the eggs to be organic, vegetarian feed, etc.

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Thu, 24 May 2012 16:33:52 +0100, Janet wrote:
>
>> In article >, ost
>> says...
>>> On Thu, 24 May 2012 10:49:43 -0400, Gary wrote:
>>>
>>>> Kalmia wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Do you buy cage free? Why?
>>>> I would imagine just to support the happy chicken's eggs.
>>> Happy Chickens and Happy Chicken Eggs are an oxymoron. Happy chickens
>>> would be getting laid. And happy eggs would be fertilized.
>>>
>>> No matter how case free or free-range a hen is, they're pretty
>>> stressed out from not getting laid.
>> I can only think you've never seen chicken sex. Course, if you blinked
>> no wonder you missed it.
>
> Every living being that is capable of physical sex feels the need to
> fulfill that urge (pleasurable or not). And in most cases that
> extends to forking some offspring, especially for the females. Heck,
> I think even my biological clock is ticking in that last regard.
>
> And when that urge is not fulfilled... Stress (at least as we know it)
> ensues. And if the chickens don't feel that stress, then they
> probably aren't sentient enough to mind being caged up and having
> their beaks burned either.
>
> -sw

Well, they can not have sex either caged or in a barn or outside.
I still want them outside in the sun and air, living a decent
life. So, do you buy fertilized eggs?

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Thu, 24 May 2012 13:21:33 -0400, Gary wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>> And if the chickens don't feel that stress, then they
>>> probably aren't sentient enough to mind being caged up and having
>>> their beaks burned either.
>> "having their beaks burned?" Now that's disturbing. Why would that be
>> necessary? I'll google it to find out. >;-[]
>
> I was just repeating what somebody else said upthread. I had never
> heard of it either, but I assume it's to keep them from pecking each
> other and their handlers).
>
> Or maybe I'm just gullible and shouldn't repeat anything I read on
> Usenet :-)
>
> -sw
>

Oh dear. The mention of the beaks has me thinking of ortolans.

--
Jean B.

On May 24, 12:04*pm, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:

>
> Chicken physiology does not permit nutritional change to occur in eggs
> regardless of free range or caged, nor flavor, only yolk color changes
> with feed... Mother Nature saw to that eons ago for maintaining
> reproduction. *Chicken eggs do vary however with the age of the
> chicken, as do mammal eggs. *Free range chicken is purely a marketing
> device, hype for extracting more dollars from those with fewer brain
> cells. *If anything caged chickens are much more likely to be disease
> free as will their eggs. *And naturally folks who spend double for
> eggs will swear they taste better... same as the ignorant peons said
> about The Emperor's New Clothes

Just did a bit of reading; Free range may not be so liberating after
all:
http://veg.ca/content/view/272/101/
{
Alternatives to standard egg production methods are being used in
Canada to a small degree. While these are an improvement, they are by
no means free of cruelty. Chickens can live up to 12 years, but most
alternatively-raised hens are still hauled to slaughter after a year
or two. And male chicks are killed at birth, just as they are in
factory farms.

Author, Michael Pollan, visited free-range chicken and egg farms to
see conditions for himself as part of the research for his book,
Omnivore's Dilemma. He discovered that a lot of companies market their
eggs under family-farm-sounding names but are in fact huge industrial-
scale operations. For example, Petaluma markets their "natural free
range" eggs under the label, Judy's Family Farm. What "free range"
means in this case is an enormous shed with a small door out to a tiny
grassy area. The farm managers don't want the birds going outside,
since these "defenseless, crowded, and genetically identical birds are
exquisitely vulnerable to infection. This is one of the larger ironies
of growing organic food in an industrial system."

Pollan visited a typical organic chicken farm, where the little doors
to the outside remain closed until the birds are five weeks old. They
are slaughtered at seven weeks, so "free range turns out to be not so
much a lifestyle for these chickens as a two-week vacation
option." (page 172)

Free range
Generally speaking, free range eggs come from chickens who have some
access to the outside, but how much access? The U.S. regulates the use
of the term on chicken but not on eggs, and doesn't stipulate how much
outdoor time is required. Canada regulates neither. No other criteria,
such as environmental quality, size of the outside area, number of
birds, or space per bird, are included in this term. Typically, free-
range hens are debeaked at the hatchery, and have only 1 to 2 square
feet of floor space per bird. The birds may or may not have litter and
access to nests and perches.


}

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sun, 27 May 2012 01:11:27 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> So, do you buy fertilized eggs?
>
> Only if I want balut.
>
> -sw

So, you don't care about those "unfulfilled" chickens?

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sun, 27 May 2012 23:18:55 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>> On Sun, 27 May 2012 01:11:27 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>>>
>>>> So, do you buy fertilized eggs?
>>> Only if I want balut.
>> So, you don't care about those "unfulfilled" chickens?
>
> Nope. I don't care about the caged hens, either. Except that it
> makes them more prone to disease and infection. Which is bad for us.
>
> I'm just playing Devil's Advocate. I was never part of the pro-Happy
> Egg/Chicken camp.
>
> -sw

I was alluding to your post that included prose about
"unfulfilled" chicken. That is all.

--
Jean B.