What would you pay for a dozen eggs?

[Every Road Leads Home]

Somewhere I have a picture with two shelled eggs in a bowl. one is from the store and one is from a friend's yard birds. One yolk is yellow and the other is a bright orange.

Here's a pic of 4 yard eggs and one store bought.

 

[TrainChaser]

“Free Range chickens and eggs can carry tuberculosis”

This really doesn't apply to most home, or small-farm flocks.

Tuberculosis is most prevalent in areas of high bird population density, and poor sanitation and hygiene = Factory Farming.  Great numbers of birds are crammed into small areas with no natural sunlight, and fed GMO corn and soy; also, most of the feed (about 70%) is treated with Roxarsone, an arsenic compound.  The unprotected tuberculosis organism (excreted in feces) is usually killed by direct sunlight.  Maintaining birds closely confined under stressful conditions provide favorable ways for the spread of the disease.


"I hope you all realize that government rules, regulations and lawyers have created the huge agribusinesses..."

Translation: Corporations that make money off agribusinesses (Monsanto, Dow, DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer, etc) paid off our Congressional "respresentatives" to make the rules that make them the most money. And then the big, rich farmers that produce staple crops like corn and soybeans in the Midwest are the ones that harvest about $20 BILLION a year from taxpayers’ pockets.  Some farmers have been paid to NOT grow crops for DECADES.  [How many of you get paid because the boss insists that you don't work?]

Few politicians vote against farm subsidies even though the Big Ag farmers are only a small group, because they are loud and organised enough to punish lawmakers who vote against a farm bill. Few voters realise how much of their money is given to farmers.


Another great source of eggs is ducks.  They start laying at ~6 months and can continue for 8 yrs or so, depending upon breed.  My Anconas seem to lay later into the fall/winter, and start earlier than my chickens.  But if you have a large number of them, the egg count drops, it is said.

I would dearly love to cart my ducks in/on my van (which I don't have yet) as I travel the country, but I just can't see how that would be possible.

 

[highdesertranger]

when I was a kid we raised ducks. duck eggs were a regular staple at our breakfast table. highdesertranger

 

[ccbreder]

The real danger from eggs. Salmonella. 1 in 20,000. This bacteria can be inside the shell. Just because the egg comes from a small farm does not insure that the bird that laid it did not have an infection.

 

[Suanne]

We have a backyard flock of 27 hens and one (very happy) rooster.  The hens are somewhere between working girls and pets.  We don't slaughter them, but let them just live out their lives here even when they stop laying.  They are free range on over 500sq' of grass and trees.  I started with a smaller flock in the early 90's.  But when I got too invested in my career, John took over and continues to be the Chicken Man around here.  

Until recently he was able to get discarded produce (unfit for the food banks) to supplement the pellet feed.   It really makes a difference in the taste of the eggs.  Unfortunately the grocery store was bought out and the current company has a policy of throwing that stuff away.     He sells a dozen for $4, and 18 for $5 ... well below the asking rate at the local farmer's market.  And the money he earns doesn't even come close to covering the cost of the endeavor.  

One of my favorite things to do when I'm not on the road is to go out and just watch the chickens ... they are kind of like a little society of their own.  And, when I go on the road, I always start out with a couple dozen eggs.  I don't have refrigeration, but keep them in an insulated bag in the coolest location in my car.  They've kept very well.

 

[wagoneer]

sounds fishy to me, just kidding

 

[Bast]

I almost died from an organic egg that came from a small family flock, under ten hens. I am still having complications friom the TB almost ten years later.

 

[wagoneer]

sorry to hear that bast where where the hens located?

 

[Bast]

A Chicken Coop in Northern Wisconsin

 

[wayne49]

Translation: Corporations that make money off agribusinesses (Monsanto, Dow, DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer, etc) paid off our Congressional "respresentatives" to make the rules that make them the most money.

The same corps, Monsanto and Bayer, are moving to take over the marijuana growing business.
When they are ready, Federal legalization will occur and there will be regulations and licensing placed on growers that will drive the current independent growers out.
Bayer bought the rights from the one firm, in Europe, that has cataloged every strain of cannabis. Monsanto signed an agreement with Bayer regarding the strains.
That news should harsh your mellow.

I am neither pro or anti marijuana. I am anti-"Drug War" and anti Monsanto's control of global agribusiness.

I do not eat eggs, so I cannot place a value on a dozen eggs.

 

[ccbreder]

Suanna; I grew up with a Victory Garden that included a chicken yard. Me and my friends called that part of the play area bird-land. I have many good memories of the interactions in our flock of Bantams. They certainly often showed intelligence.

 

[gcal]

I pay more at the grocery for "cage-free," even tho I know that the hens are still cramped and crowded. I will pay the $5.00 for free range farm eggs in the very rare times that I can find them. I am no vegetarian. Can't see the point. We evolved as meat-eaters, and nature is what it is. Even if you don't eat meat, thousands of lives are still lost to keep you alive. I prefer it when the animals I eat are not mistreated or abused, tho. They are part of the same life cycle that I am.

 

[ccbreder]

To answer the first question, I don't look at the price. I think I pay 4 or 5 $. There are a couple of certifying organizations, and some that don't mean a thing. But I rely on "Certified Humane" and the brand I find in the Acme is Nellie's Certified Free Range Eggs. I am with you, gcal.

 

[Diesel4Life]

I pay between $5.00 & $6.00 dollars per dozen in my area, and appreciate the fact there are still people here that are willing to take the many extra steps involved to raise and care for egg laying hens in the manner they do. The hens I receive eggs from are true free range only brought in at night for protection from predators and supplemented when necessary with non gmo organic feed and extra minerals. I also purchase Duck eggs whenever they have them.

 

[TrainChaser]

All of my girls (3 chickens and 3 ducks) are free-range, just locked up at night. And it is nice to sit on the steps with a cup of tea and just relax and watch them doing their chicken/duck things. One advantage of the ducks is that they can be herded, although chickens will put themselves to bed at night.

When my first hens started laying, I had too many eggs to handle, so I gave some to the neighbors. I asked one if she wanted more, and she said, "Oh... no... My family doesn't like eggs with orange yolks -- they look like something is wrong with them."

Yes, you can get 'stuff' from chickens and eggs. But you can get more from people. Whoever thinks that this is a safe world really needs to set down the cell phone and take off the headset -- or you might get hit by a car.

 

[Diesel4Life]

I've been eating whole farm raise egg's chicken and duck when available, nearly everyday for decades started when I was a youngster. And have never been sick from them ever. And most of the time unless I've bought a lot of them I just keep them in a nice basket on the counter. Not the refrigerator.


Ever had a raw milk eggnog smoothie?

Or home made raw milk eggnog ice cream?

Disclaimer: I do not eat general store bought type eggs though and would not suggest anyone do that with those versions.

 

[GCAdventurer]

The local grocery chain sells their cheapest eggs for about $2.39CAD and upwards of $6 for what they claim to be 'organic free range'
My neighbour has a local farm deliver 2 flats of eggs every 3 weeks or so, theres just the two of them, must really like eggs...

 

[Bast]

Interesting price comparison. Regular eggs here are between .88 and .99 a dozen. I got a dozen eggs on sale last week for .50 a dozen. These are unusually low prices. In midwinter they average about 1.40 a dozen.

 

[Txjaybird]

Today  in L.A.  {that's lower Alabama} at Piggly Wiggly   3dz medium eggs for $1.  + 10%  limit 6dz

Jewellann

 

[gojo]

Wife and I were shopping, when we got home, I seen car tracks in my yard. I was mad and pissed off! My wife said something might be on the wildlife camera, Hah, forgot about the camera. Yes it was on the camera and guess what. Few of my chickens were on the road, these kids were trying to hit them with there car.
I cropped the photo because of my mailbox address.