Ovo Brands – a shopper's guide to making the best choice for you
and chickens.

A Better Way to Buy Eggs

You are standing in the dairy aisle at the supermarket, and you are faced with a tough choice. What kind of eggs should you buy? There are so many varieties to choose from, with so many labels. You have seen movies that feature the cruelty of large-scale egg production and want to make a humane choice. What are the differences between words like "organic" and "cage free"? Are some choices better than others?

Decoding the Egg Label

Egg labeling breaks down into two categories, mirroring the consumer's desires for certain types of eggs. Those that are "choosy" about their eggs tend to want one of two things (or both): humane treatment of the hens and appropriate feeding practices (defined by the customer).

There are a few different labeling "buzz words" on the market referring to the treatment of hens. The first, it should be noted, is the absence of any labeling at all. If you do not see the words "cage-free" or "organic" on your eggs, you can be certain that the hens laying those eggs have been in battery cages for their entire lives without access to natural movement, instinctual pecking, or even sunlight. The words "cage-free" indicate just what it says: the chickens are not caged, but these words indicate little beyond that. The chickens may still be packed tightly into large barns, have their beaks clipped, and be kept from being outdoors and foraging. "Organic" labeling mandates that the eggs have come from cage-free hens with access to the outdoors in appropriate weather. (This does not mean they live out doors or forage in an open environment for a substantial part of their lives. Merely that they have access to the outdoors.) Organic producers also do not artificially molt their birds. "Free Range" has no official definition in the United States and can be used by any egg producer. Its standard definition, however, is one of chickens allowed to forage for bugs and plants during the day and penned only at night. Unless the "Free-range" designation is also coupled with the "organic" designation, it may not guarantee that the birds were treated humanely. "Pastured" has the same connotation as "free range", and additionally suggests that the majority of the hen's food comes from bugs and plants (its natural diet) with very little, if any, corn supplementation. The "pastured" designation is often used by small suppliers attempting to separate their product from the more common (and often deceptive) labeling designations.

Nutritional labeling is just as complex. The "organic" label mandates that all food given to the chicken be organic (GMO free). It also dictates that no animal by-products can be used in feed (a common practice in general production) and that no hormones can be used to maintain the flock. The term "antibiotic free" without the "organic" label means only that: no antibiotics were used. It does not dictate other areas of the hen's food and care and, truthfully, is unregulated and may mean nothing at all. The term "vegetarian feed" is aimed at the vegetarian consumer who may wish their eggs to come from birds that are fed a vegetarian diet. The problem with this designation is that birds do not normally eat a strictly vegetarian diet. Chickens should be eating bugs and worms along with copious plant matter with very little grain to keep the birds healthy and producing high quality, nutritionally dense eggs. "Omega-3" eggs indicate that the hens have been given flax seed or other high Omega-3 foods that then, in turn, help the bird produce eggs high in Omega-3's, an important fatty-acid in the human diet. The term "pastured" implies that the birds have foraged for their food primarily, although this term is not regulated.

Happy Chickens Make Yummy Eggs

What should you purchase? In a grocery store environment, small scale "organic" eggs with a "free-range" or "pastured" designation is the best option. At minimum, one should seek out the term "organic." Ideally, however, the consumer may wish to seek out local farmers and suppliers who pasture their chickens and feed them a minimum of grain. This may sound daunting at first, but a quick internet search will provide you with lists of farmers or farmer's markets in your area that provide eggs. Local CSAs (community supported agriculture) often carry high-quality eggs from local suppliers as well. Seeking out local egg suppliers who practice raise and care for their birds in a humane fashion provides you and your family with high-quality, nutritious eggs, builds your local economy and community, and reduces your breakfast's carbon footprint.

Local Pastured
Eggs in Pennsylvania

Back Achers Farm
Rome, PA

Breakaway Farms
Manheim, PA
breakawayfarms.net

Clan Stewart Farm
Huntingdon, PA
clanstewartfarm.com

Common Ground Organic Farm
Spring Mills PA
commongroundfarm.com

Coulter Farms
Honey Grove, PA
CoulterFarms.net

Country Lane Poultry
Leola PA

Deep Springs Farm
Harleysville, PA

Dutch Meadows Organic Dairy
Tyrone PA

Forks Farm
Orangeville, PA
forksfarmmarket.com

Glasbern Country Inn
Fogelsville, PA
glasbernfarm.com

Green Ridge Acres
Gordonville, PA

Green Haven Farm
Fleetwood, PA
greenhavenfarm.com

Hendricks Farms and Dairy
Telford, PA
hendricksfarmsanddairy.com

Inverbrook Farm
West Grove, PA

Martin's Twin Brook Farm
York, PA
twinbrookfarm.com

Meadow Run Farm
Lititz, PA

Micks Gourmet Chicks
Wernersville, PA

Misty Morning Farm
Cherry Tree, PA

Natural Acres
Millersburg, PA
naturalacres.com

Nature's Sunlight
Newville, PA

Organic Acres
Gordonville, PA

Over the Moon Farm
Rebersburg, PA
overthemoonfarm.com

Owens Farm
Sunbury, PA
owensfarm.com

Paradise Gardens and Farm LLC
Reynoldsville, PA
paradisegardensandfarm.com

Paradise Valley Organic Farm
Milton, PA
paradisevalleyorganicfarm.com

Parker's Chickens
Centerville, PA

Providence Pastures Farm
Corry, PA
providencepastures.com

Purely Farm’s Organically Pastured Meats
Pipersville, PA

Somethings Happinin' Farm
Susquehanna, PA
somethingshappinin.tripod.com

Spring Creek Farms
Wernersville, PA

Spring Water Farm
Paradise, PA

On Stoney Creek Farm
Russell, PA

Wallace Homestead Farm
New Albany, PA
wallacehomesteadfarm.com

Wholesome Dairy Farms
Douglassville, PA
wholesomedairyfarms.com

WIL–AR Farms
Newville, PA

Willow Creek Orchards
Collegeville, PA
willowcreekorchards.com

Willow Springs Farm
Everett, PA

This list has been compiled from research found at eatwild.com