Let's talk about free-range eggs

[Jennifer13]

Actually, not to get all down on this, but there's been a fair bit of coverage lately about how there's more eggs labelled 'free range' than are actually produced. Most of the major egg producers (certified or no) have been caught out putting non-free range eggs in with their free range eggs when they don't have enough. It's not monitored, so it's a marketing exercise as much as anything.

RSPCA accreditation has been criticised in the past for not really being reliable. They did a documentary some years ago where animal activists went into a so-called RSPCA accredited facility to film the appalling conditions. The RSPCA is paid for their accreditation, which in my view constitutes a huge conflict of interest. One of the issues is that RSPCA is only taken to some facilities to accredit, but then, when the producer needs to top up the supplies, they just use any old eggs.

You have to also check for whether free range is actually ranging free, or kept in a barn, etc.

When we used to buy free range I would try and choose eggs from a local supplier, while I can't be sure they are really free range unless I take a drive out there, at least I'm avoiding the issues I just mentioned (and theoretically I could drive for an hour to go and check).

Then we switched to true free range - we got our own chickens! I love our girls, they're so low maintenance and watching them walk around the yard amusing themselves most of the time makes me feel really sorry for all the other chickens.

PS At the moment 'Australian certified organic' with the correct logo is the only accreditation that seems to be gaining momentum and has some assurance in terms of checking, audits, etc. And for the record, I do some work in this area, so I have looked into it a bit.

MrsB26: have a look at the Choice article from earlier this year about milk. Puts you off a lot of them, that's for sure! We buy organic milk too now, and I love that there are chunks of cream swimming in the milk when it comes out of the carton. Tastes much better too.

[GlitterMum]

Hey Leash,
How funny, I was just reading this in The West Australian (WA Newspaper)



Egg on face over alleged false advertisingAAP, The West Australian September 24, 2010, 3:25 pm Buzz up!

A West Australian egg company that allegedly falsely advertised their eggs as free-range for more than four years will face charges in the Perth Federal Court.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has begun proceedings against the company C I & Co and its owners Antonio and Anna Pisano for allegedly contravening the Trade Practices Act.

The ACCC alleges that for two years between 2006 and 2008 the company labelled and marketed cartons of eggs using the words "free-range eggs" when the contents were not actually free-range.

From April to June this year, Mr and Ms Pisano began labelling their eggs as 'Fresh-Range Omega-3' creating the impression that the eggs were free-range when they were not, the ACCC allege.

The case will be heard on October 25.

[Sopdet]

When I do buy eggs, I go to the local farmer's market and actually speak to the people selling the eggs, yes I've been a strange one in a business suit, asking about the chickens, their living arrangements/conditions/treatment/feed etc like I was some hippy

As I have food allergies, I have to be careful about what I eat and I'm even to the point careful about what the things I eat .... eat, IYKWIM.

[Jennifer13]

When I do buy eggs, I go to the local farmer's market and actually speak to the people selling the eggs, yes I've been a strange one in a business suit, asking about the chickens, their living arrangements/conditions/treatment/feed etc like I was some hippy

As I have food allergies, I have to be careful about what I eat and I'm even to the point careful about what the things I eat .... eat, IYKWIM.

I'm the annoying takeaway customer who checks the free range status of chicken and pork and eggs in pizza, burgers, sandwiches and so on. I figure, if you don't ask, how will they know customers want it? At the butchers as well, I like to know that they know the farms they source their meat from. In our area I'm lucky. It's not cheap, but our local gourmet pizza place uses all free range and so do many of our local chicken takeaway places. One just switched from Lilydale free range to LaIonica and I am going to go in and tell them I won't buy from them anymore.

[Kazbah]

Lulu - I have more eggs than I can use, I'm selling around 3 1/2 doz / week at work - happy to meet you and sell you my eggs from my girls My beautiful girls who love to follow my little man around the back yard.

[Indadhanu]

Can you move near me Kazbah? We can't have chickens, being a rental in a smallish suburban block We're moving to a rural black soon, enough room for a milking cow (WOOHOO!) and some chickens. Not that Shel would let me have chooks, she thinks they stink. I sort of agree, but they are pretty functional too.

[Livinthedream]

Am pretty sure milking cows stink more than chookies
Dont forget that a cow needs to be UTD to make milk....
Hope you have room for baby cows.
Get some chookies, they are great pets for the kids.
Give me 3 months and I will sell you some Barnevelder chooks, so pretty and super friendly.

[Fleur]

Just subscribing cause I'm interested. I make an effort to read the cartons, I don't think barn laid is all that great either.
There would ahve to be somewhere near me that sells real free range... might be time to look into it.

[Lulu]

I don't buy RSPCA for this reason either, and I'm sick of seeing the word stamped on everything because I just KNOW there are not that many facilities for true free range eggs. Barn laid doesn't thrill me either - you can jam thousands of chickens into a barn with no sunlight - big deal.

The eggs with the chook eating on the certification is rare but appears to be the most trustworthy.

At the moment I have ecoeggs and they have pics on their website of their farms. I didn't buy them for awhile because they come in packs of 10 and it's a bit w@nky. They also come from interstate and I'd rather them not have to travel so far. Can't win 'em all I suppose.

The search for local free range continues....

[deesalie]

Interesting topic. My DP was on local ABC Radio recently talking about eggs. The NSW Food Authority has recently brought about legislation which makes it virtually impossible for any small egg producer to continue producing eggs. This will put a lot of small free range, organic farmers out of business as it has done locally with 3 organic, free range egg producers. What it's enabled is large producers such as Pace Farms to monopolise the industry and free range certification has become relaxed because of this. Egg producers can now claim "free range" with chickens roaming free but in crowded sheds. We have one local egg producer who farms 240,000 chickens in sheds that is classified "free range". A long shot from what most people consider to be free range huh.

Your best bet.... buying from farmers markets where you can talk to the producer about farming practises, or having your own backyard chooks. I've opted for the latter

[Lulu]

Interesting topic. My DP was on local ABC Radio recently talking about eggs. The NSW Food Authority has recently brought about legislation which makes it virtually impossible for any small egg producer to continue producing eggs. This will put a lot of small free range, organic farmers out of business as it has done locally with 3 organic, free range egg producers. What it's enabled is large producers such as Pace Farms to monopolise the industry and free range certification has become relaxed because of this. Egg producers can now claim "free range" with chickens roaming free but in crowded sheds. We have one local egg producer who farms 240,000 chickens in sheds that is classified "free range". A long shot from what most people consider to be free range huh.

Your best bet.... buying from farmers markets where you can talk to the producer about farming practises, or having your own backyard chooks. I've opted for the latter

Grrrr - I HATE pace farms. - Go on people head to the Farmers Markets to support the REAL free range producers!

Kazbah, I will take you up on that - I'm still hoping to get my own chickens, but it looks like I might have to take in mums dog (cos I don't have enough to do yanno) and I don't think my anal retentive housemate is going to like me building another menagerie...

[RoyaUK]

I love the idea of having your own chickens! What do you need to do to set up for chickens? How many eggs does a chicken produce a week? How do you choose a chicken?

[Jennifer13]

I love the idea of having your own chickens! What do you need to do to set up for chickens? How many eggs does a chicken produce a week? How do you choose a chicken?

We have a coop and a yard. The coop I bought off ebay for a fraction of the price you would get in a shop. Chicken feed is super cheap. We got two chicks and raised them (no eggs until they're about 20 weeks), but we've bought two more at 20 wks so they start laying straight away. We lost one of our first girls to a mystery illness. They also get all of our leftovers and I buy straw for the nesting box (again, not expensive).

We have little Isa Browns. $20 each at 20 wks. They lay one egg a day each, with perhaps one day off a week. If they are laying less, it's usually because you need to include more protein in their diet (or so I'm told). They live for about 8 years, I'm not sure when they stop laying.

We let them out in the morning, put them back in their coop if we have to go out, and they put themselves to bed in their coop every evening. They eat all the nasty spiders we get here too (redbacks, funnel webs, etc). And weeds - DP only has to mow the lawn about twice a year where they are!

PS Ours are very friendly, one especially likes a pat and a seat on your knee. If we sit outside in the evening they try and roost on us instead of in their coop. They don't have a smell at all.

[Santosha]

Exactly why we have our own chookies... I just find it hard to trust that I'm actually getting real free-range from the shops. I know my girls are happy, healthy and chemical and hormone free. And they don't stink at all, they're very clean themselves and the droppings are a cinch to clear out - and do wonders for the vegie patch!

[turtleschell]

Can a dog and chooks roam free together?
Do you need a permit for chooks?
I really want some chooks. How do you start?

[Jennifer13]

Our biggest egg was 100g - I took a photo! They've settled down to a slightly bigger than large size now. And because they lay daily we don't get any double-yolkers any more. But they certainly are tasty eggs. We didn't mean to keep the chooks, we just couldn't bear to give our chickens over the MIL after looking after them for a few weeks. We didn't expect them to be so friendly and interactive!

[Jennifer13]

Oh yes, the dogs eat chicken poo. I put the dirty straw in my compost and one of my dogs thinks it's a buffet.

We did have two hens and one died, which meant a mad rush to get a new friend for her that day. We have three in total now, so that won't happen again. New hens seem to have to sort out the pecking order for a couple of days.

We didn't get any less eggs over winter, Christy. Maybe we're just lucky? Or is it a breed thing?

[christy]

I dunno why we had less? We have Isla Browns... we did have a brooder over 3 weeks or so....