I’m going to spill the big secret to producing better-tasting eggs: it’s the grass, man!
No, not that kind of grass! Ordinary grass, clover and other pasture plants, I mean.
Happy outdoor chickens that are allowed to run around on a grassy area will eat a lot of grass and other succulent plants. These plants don’t have many calories, but they’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, and flavor.
The eggs of such hens are bigger, have darker yolks, are more nutritious, and taste better. They taste like “real farm eggs,” which is not something you can say of the eggs in the store. The chickens are eating their veggies, and it makes all the difference.
This doesn’t seem like a difficult concept, but farmers, consumers, and even certifying agencies get it wrong every day. They think that “free range” is all about “outdoor access,” and that a barren yard is in the same league as a grassy field. Nothing could be further from the truth!
I Publish Books! Norton Creek Press
 |
 |
 |
 |
Really liked the news about eggs. Tried to print it out but could not. Enjoy your work. Dave
I agree — I only have a few hens but the friends who buy my extra eggs say they taste wonderfully “eggy” rather than bland like storebought.
I fully agree with this, but there is more to it, something missed by most. Grass and other greens is what puts the Omega-3 fatty acids in eggs, NOT the flax seed or similar additives. A quick course on O-3 fatty acids: ALA, alpha linolenic acid, is the most abundant Omega-3 fatty acid in nature and occurs in everything green, grass, leaves etc., since it is necessary for photosynthesis. Animals who eat these greens, like grass fed cattle or free ranging chickens, convert the ALA into EPA (eicosaenoic acid) and DHA (decahexaenoic acid), which are the Omega-3’s we as humans are most in need of. This is why free range eggs and grass fed beef are health foods. The so-called Omega 3 eggs sold in stores may or may not be that high in EPA and DHA. The chickens are fed flax seed and I don’t know if they convert this into EPA and DHA. Letting them run free in pasture is much more effective and adds nothing to the cost.
A friend of mine has a brother with terrible diabetes, and high cholesterol. Well he burned his foot very badly, had surgery to have a graft put on his foot. The doctor told him to eat all the lean protein he could find. He ate my chickens eggs morning, noon and night. About 4 dozen a week, he was raised on a farm, and hard boiled eggs are a favorite. The surgeon couldnt believe how rapidly he healed and his cholesterol dropped about 60 points. The hens roam 4 acres with horses and goats. Eggs are supposed to make your cholesterol go up, just goes to show, let the girls roam like theyre supposed to and theyll take care of the rest.