"Egglands Best" eggs

[sparrowgrass]

I am a girl!! I am a girl!!

And a relatively reliable source, usually, though I can steer you wrong with the best of them.

Like I mentioned, I work for University of Missouri Extension and we make a point of having good info.

Thanks, skilletlicker, for your vote of confidence.

 

[Uncle Bob]

A girl........Well bless yo little pea-picken heart...Certainly no offense meant when I refered to you as "he"...I trust that none was taken......

 

[BreezyCooking]

I never bother to pay higher prices to buy eggs that are advertised as being "lower in cholesterol, higher in protein & Omega 3", etc., etc., because I notice that none of these producers actually TELL you what they're feeding these chickens in order to produce these AWESOME credentials. I do, however, buy eggs (& chicken, goat, pork, & bison) from a local organic/free-range farmer who pasture-raises his livestock. And he's right around the corner from me, so yes I DO know exactly how his livestock is raised pasture-raised. (As an aside - visiting his free-range pork is a real hoot. He raises heritage breed red Tamworth pigs that live free in acres & acres of fenced forest land, yet are really friendly. Sort of makes it hard to eat the delicious pork they provide.)

I raised pet chickens - for the eggs - for many years. As Sparrowgrass has said, the fact that my birds received all sorts of weeds, bugs, & table scraps on a daily basis made a HUGE difference in the quality of the eggs. As far as the scientific value - I neither knew nor cared. All I knew was that they were GREAT eggs, & my neighbors & family clammored for them.

 

[MJK]

Did you know that having a chicken or two out in the yard will cut down on the ticks that may be lurking there? They are one of the few birds that eat the little critters.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Actually, Guinea Hens hold the gold star as far as tick predation goes.

My "girls" had a lovely cedar-shingled coop & a large covered run to protect them from the dogs, fox, racoons, & weasels always trying for a quick chicken dinner.

However, when I planned to be working in the garden, I always brought a hen or 2 out with me. They were a hoot. Perfectly content to follow me around picking up weed seedlings & bugs as I weeded & turned over soil. I always brought out heavy-breed chickens that couldn't fly, rather than the light breeds I also kept. This way I didn't have to bother clipping wings or worrying about birds getting frightened & flying off on me.

 

[Andy M.]

If you want a useful amount of Omega-3, take fish oil tablets.

A vast majority of Americans consume a lot more protein than they actually need for good health.

The difference in cholesterol levels among eggs is not significant. Either with Eggland's or generic eggs, you get more than you should.

I make these points to say that micro decisions about eggs are not necessary. Eat them because you like them, not because you are relying on them for some nutritional component.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Andy M.....

You Da Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bridgetk3]

hello all,

i have run across this forum and wish to respond to all who seem to be confused about egglands best!

first and foremost, read the packages on the different varieties of egglands. some ARE cage free, organic, etc. you MAY be getting the range free eggs, but unless u are buying the cage free...then no.

i've noticed people talking about "what" they feed the hens and what makes these eggs different from others. it's exactly that, it's what they FEED the hens that produces a more nutritious egg. the feed that these hens eat is an all vegetarian feed-so no animal by product! The feed has also excluded hormones and antibiotics, which are commonly found in other feeds. In turn, these hens produce eggs that are higher in lutein, vitamin e, omega 3, and iodine; and lower in cholesterol and saturated fat, by significant amounts.

another thing people seem to question is what the difference between brown and white eggs are. Simple, white hens lay white eggs, red hens lay brown varieties. some say they taste a difference, other than that there is no difference.

 

[LadyCook61]

another thing people seem to question is what the difference between brown and white eggs are. Simple, white hens lay white eggs, red hens lay brown varieties. some say they taste a difference, other than that there is no difference.

I raised egg layers,they were white hens, they had brown eggs, only different I could ascertain was the color of the yolks , they were darker. The eggs tastes the same as white. The yolks were possibly darker because of the feed I gave them, non chemical, organic feed. I wish I still had those wonderful egg layers, they died of old age and I did not use them for cooking, only for the eggs.

 

[pacanis]

All vegetarian feed? I was under the impression that chickens need meat in their diet.

 

[buckytom]

boids do need proteins, but it doesn't have to be meat. (same goes for my parrots)
in fact, some people say that feeding meat to birds makes them aggressive.

with chickens, i think it's just because of their name, and we keep crossing the street.

 

[LadyCook61]

All vegetarian feed? I was under the impression that chickens need meat in their diet.

there was no meat in the feed that I recall. This goes back about 15 yrs ago.

 

[pacanis]

hmmm, maybe I misunderstood the chicken forum people then.
I thought I was told by several people that chickens do better with an animal source of protein included in their diet. When they can't get bugs to eat it was good to feed them canned cat food (in moderation) or raw hamburger, even their own eggs (scrambled so as not to lead to other problems). Mine were pecking at themselves something fierce about mid-winter and I started supplementing their feed with raw hamburger every other day or so and the pecking stopped. Some of them are still walking around with missing feathers on their butts, but no more chunks of chicken missing.

I don't know.... from what I've gathered, there are as many ways to care for chickens as there is to thaw them....

 

[pacanis]

Here it is, the fourth ingredient in the chicken feed I use is; animal protein products.

 

[buckytom]

just like the problem with eating a vegetarian diet, you get more complete proteins from meat with less effort.

unless your chickens can take a hunk of flesh out of you at will (as my parrots do on occasion), it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[LadyCook61]

Here it is, the fourth ingredient in the chicken feed I use is; animal protein products.

thanks , pacanis. my chickens were free range, they had use of the whole 8.7 acres of land. We never fertilized the land with chemicals or anything so the chickens did not get contaminated, nor the eggs. When we had a garden , we used chicken manure , and wow did the veggies grow. We had to be careful not to use too much manure it was very potent and burn the plants and roots.

 

[GotGarlic]

i've noticed people talking about "what" they feed the hens and what makes these eggs different from others. it's exactly that, it's what they FEED the hens that produces a more nutritious egg. the feed that these hens eat is an all vegetarian feed-so no animal by product!

Not sure what you mean by "no animal by product," or why that's desirable.

The feed has also excluded hormones and antibiotics, which are commonly found in other feeds. In turn, these hens produce eggs that are higher in lutein, vitamin e, omega 3, and iodine; and lower in cholesterol and saturated fat, by significant amounts.

You must have missed the post where an FDA inspector said it's illegal in the U.S. to give hormones to poultry, and that poultry producers must withdraw antibiotics from the birds a specified period of time before slaughter, so it will be eliminated from their bodies first.

I think greens and nuts are far better sources of lutein and vitamin E, and fish, especially tuna and salmon, are better sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

Vitamin E
Lutein

 

[sparrowgrass]

And the color of the chicken does not match the color of the eggs. It sounds goofy, but the color of the hen's earlobes tells you what color the eggs will be--and I bet you didn't even know that hens had earlobes, did ya?

I have hens that lay brown eggs--the hens themselves are all different colors, including white.

And, praise the powers that be, I am no longer a chicken checker. I work for Extension now.

 

[JGDean]

scrambled eggs and cheese

boids do need proteins, but it doesn't have to be meat. (same goes for my parrots)
in fact, some people say that feeding meat to birds makes them aggressive.

with chickens, i think it's just because of their name, and we keep crossing the street.

Don't you give your parrots cooked scrambled eggs, shrimp, meat and chicken bones, nuts, cheese and other proteins? My cockatoo loves them. He's very healthy. An Amazon I had loved eating unsweetened plain yogurt holding his own spoon of course.

 

[buckytom]

my birds get all of the things you've mentioned. they get nuts every day, chesse about twice a week (pizza is a fave), and chicken leg bones all the time. dw saves the bones from dinner, then gives it to them at night when i'm not home. busy beaks aren't noisy beaks.

my molluccan gets crazy if i don't share a wendy's classic double with cheese with him when i get home late. he eats until his crop is a stuffed balloon.

i've heard other bird owners report (and have noticed) that when cockatoos get a lot of meat as the protein in their diet, they tend to be more quick to bite, and do other beahviours to display their superiority.