My hens eggs compared to store eggs

Fresh farm eggs are so much better then store bought, there is no comparison. Eggs should be collected every day, so even with a rooster there won't be any embryos inside. A fertilized egg will have a "blood spot" in the yolk. Pick it out and use the egg anyway.
 
longun said:
Fresh farm eggs are so much better then store bought, there is no comparison. Eggs should be collected every day, so even with a rooster there won't be any embryos inside. A fertilized egg will have a "blood spot" in the yolk. Pick it out and use the egg anyway.
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No, show the blood spot to the kids and then cook the egg as is.
 
longun said:
Fresh farm eggs are so much better then store bought, there is no comparison. Eggs should be collected every day, so even with a rooster there won't be any embryos inside. A fertilized egg will have a "blood spot" in the yolk. Pick it out and use the egg anyway.
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Both fertilized and unfertilized eggs can have a blood spot(s). This blood spot is caused by a blood vessel breaking in the chicken's "egg making organ". They occur more often in older hens, but can occur in a hen of any age. Blood spot eggs are edible, assuming they were taken from the hen's nest quickly, i.e., daily collection.

The way to tell the difference between a fertilized egg and an unfertilized egg is to look at the yolk. An unfertilized egg's yolk will be uniform in appearance. A fertilized egg will have what appears to be a "bull's eye" spot on it. I'll see if i can dig up some pics of the difference... tomorrow. It's too dang late to go scrounging the internet.
 
longun said:
Fresh farm eggs are so much better then store bought, there is no comparison. Eggs should be collected every day, so even with a rooster there won't be any embryos inside. A fertilized egg will have a "blood spot" in the yolk. Pick it out and use the egg anyway.
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I read the blood spot is not caused from being fertilized. It said all eggs can have that and it's due to a rupture in the hens ovaries.
 
The biggest difference to me in that picture isn't so much the color, but how that yolk stands up, a good solid yolk makes a fine fried egg, store bought doesn't cut it it after you raise your own.

I've noticed our chicken's egg yolks will get even darker orange the more grasshoppers they eat.

Zzyzzogeton and Jill are "spot" on about blood and bullseyes. The little white speck in the yolk will have visible bullseye rings if its fertilized, if not its just a white smudge. The blood specks freak some people out, but they cook up just fine.
 
Ah man my hens have been holding out on me all winter and we're finally starting to get some now but only a couple a day out of six.

There's no mistaking a home egg, and there's no going back once you've had them. The shells are more substantial, they break cleaner, and the eggs have a stronger colored yolk and a much meatier and more robust egg flavor and texture. The white holds together better for easier flips when frying too.

Even my young (first year) hens with only Purina feed and occasional meal worms lay eggs that would blow any store bought out of the water. I have two RI reds, two ameraucanas, a plymouth rock and a black star. The ameraucanas lay blue eggs, the rest lay brown, but they all taste the same to me.

I've heard marigolds make the yolk more orange and yolk-ey but my birds are so destructive that they shred any plant faster than I think it would be able to make a difference in the eggs. I'll have to make some cages for the plants so that they can reach partway in, enough to eat the flowers but not enough to destroy the plant.
 
Mine won't eat marigold flowers at all. We had a lot last season and I tried giving them some, they ignored.
 
I bet these fresh eggs are amazing! Yes, I selected the one with the darker, unbroken yolk. Looks delicious.

Question for you "eggsperts": Are there any store-bought eggs that even come close, or what would you buy in the market? (forget price, just the best quality egg and healthiest to eat).
 
I've never bought any store bought eyes with firm orange yolks. I only have a few chickens and they get a lot of different things to eat. I even give them a bit of dog food, when I feed the dogs every evening. I think small flocks that get pampered produce the finest eggs and anything you see in a store probably isn't going to get that sort of care.
 
annr said:
I bet these fresh eggs are amazing! Yes, I selected the one with the darker, unbroken yolk. Looks delicious.

Question for you "eggsperts": Are there any store-bought eggs that even come close, or what would you buy in the market? (forget price, just the best quality egg and healthiest to eat).
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Unless you buy at a local farmer's market, or a small town grocery store/feed store that carries local eggs, then what you can get is whatever is available at your major chains. And these are the mass-produced, thin shelled, pale yellow yolk eggs most people see. These are eggs, but not the best, quality wise and never will be. Free range local eggs have no peers, re: taste, appearance, or nutrition. The chain grocery store eggs are better than no eggs, but just barely.
 
zzyzzogeton said:
Unless you buy at a local farmer's market, or a small town grocery store/feed store that carries local eggs, then what you can get is whatever is available at your major chains. And these are the mass-produced, thin shelled, pale yellow yolk eggs most people see. These are eggs, but not the best, quality wise and never will be. Free range local eggs have no peers, re: taste, appearance, or nutrition. The chain grocery store eggs are better than no eggs, but just barely.
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Fortunately, I have a colleague who has a small chicken farm, so maybe I can get some of those.

In the meantime, the free-range, no hormone, antibiotic, etc., aren't any better than the regular eggs?
 
Most of the eggs I've seen in the supermarket, just say cage free. Which merely means they're still confined, just not in cages.
 
This is what we buy:

The hens selected to lay Eggland’s Best Cage-Free eggs are not kept in cages and are free to roam. They are provided with fresh air, are protected from predators, and have areas to exhibit natural behaviors.

Why are Eggland’s Best Cage-Free eggs better? The hens are fed wholesome, all-vegetarian feed that contains no added hormones, antibiotics or steroids, and no animal by-products, recycled, or processed foods.

Eggland’s Best eggs are produced locally throughout the United States and are typically delivered to stores typically within 72 hours of laying, ensuring a farm-fresh taste in every single egg.

Eggland’s Best Cage-Free eggs are sold in 100% recyclable plastic cartons. For more information on recycling and Eggland’s Best sustainability initiative, please click here.
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They're not free range, just cage free. Meaning they're in bigger pens, still confined. Better for the hens, only you can judge if by comparison they're better tasting and looking, than the cheaper caged hen eggs.

I myself haven't found much difference in what's available in the local grocery stores. In fact the egg in my original post is cage free from Walmart.
 
An interesting discussion. I have always heard that the way to tell a good egg from a bad one is to put it in a bowl of water. If it sinks to the bottom, then it's good. If it floats, then it is getting old and might be bad. True?
 
Great and interesting thread Jill!
All the farms here in Jersey have 'stands' on the road and sell what they grow.
Awesome eggs!!
Joe
 
There are usually 5-6 brands of eggs that are not the traditional supermarket fare. Here is another we get, Nellie’s Free Range eggs. I usually try to pick the eggs based on the freshest batch, and I do think that they taste much better than the supermarket eggs, tho I don't know how they compare to Jills! (I've never shopped at Walmart so I don't know what they carry.)

FREE RANGE
At Nellie’s, we’re very proud to raise all our hens in a Certified Humane, free range environment. This guarantees that on every one of our small farms:

Hens have easy access to the outdoors with real grass to peck, play and dust bathe.
The have access to antibiotic free feed and fresh water 24/7.
And much more.
Read more about Certified Humane here.

Outdoor access for our hens is important, but we also have to insure that our hens are safe from predators and disease from wild birds.

In accordance with Certified Humane standards, we protect our hens by not allowing them outside during the following conditions:

During cold and inclement weather (would you want to go outside barefoot in the snow? Hens generally feel the same way).
When ground predators such as fox and coyote are seen in the immediate area.
During migratory bird season, or when large flocks of small birds roost nearby, to prevent exposure to diseases such as avian mites or Avian Flu.
When the hens do need, or want, to be inside our barns, they still have dirt scratch areas, perches, and nesting boxes where they can engage in their natural behaviors.
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My eggs come from hens I know individually. I read if you want the best eggs get them from someone who knows them by name. There might be something to that, as I do feed them by hand daily and watch over them.
 
Jill,
Can you tell us about how many eggs you get per day, and if you have extras do you store them in the fridge for any length of time?
 
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