Following on from numerous threads such as this..
Which eggs do you buy and why?
Do You Buy Caged Eggs?
smashed on 05/11/2017 - 16:36
Last edited 05/11/2017 - 17:25 by 2 other users
Last edited 05/11/2017 - 17:25 by 2 other users
Poll Options
- 473Free range from supermarket
- 466Whatever is cheapest (usually caged)
- 53I have my own hen
- 42Free range from local farm produce
- 28I don't eat eggs
- 7Barn eggs
Comments
Added an option for you
I can't see my most expensive option tho :s
Its the last one, it includes the barn as well.
Whatever is cheapest because it is and because I am unsophisticated and impervious to guilt on this topic.
I thought we had similar views on things till this debate.
However, last week my wife began purchasing free-range eggs for $3 per dozen from her swimming classmate who has about a dozen hens.
Waiting for the.. "but they are probably caged hens and they just don't tell you that" comment :)
Last week my wife began producing free range eggs. Now all our money is going on buying free range grass for her to eat
Long may that continue, but this is a poll, not quite a debate.
I wasn't being serious, it was more of an in before moment.
Some of my best friends have been chickens.
I once went shopping at Coles with a bro, and the prat collected some caged eggs. I went through the counter not long before him and mentioned that my bro was a "chicken torturer" without any further explanation. It turned out that when he hit the counter the checkout chick was right on the ball and busted his balls for buying caged eggs. High five sister!
Now [3] days since i've bought a watch.
Link to what you bought 3 days ago?
@AngryChicken: Forgive yourself - brilliant value, but although Member WatchNerd warns it is 55mm the description says the case diameter is 1.77 inches which is 45mm.
I will admit that I am the same as you but I actually feel guilty and sorry for the chickens but my issue is out of sight out of mind till I watch documentaries and images of how bad the chicken conditions are.
[oops]
Whatever is cheapest (usually caged)
Caged eggs are also usually larger and taste better.
You can really taste the misery and desperation.
That's the thing. You really can't.
Pace Farm Caged Eggs Extra Large 59g 12pk 700g
$3.50
($0.50 / 100G)Or
Woolworths Cage Free Eggs 12pk 700g
$3.60
($0.51 / 100G)Hmmm yeah lets save 10 cents
why is pace farm's extra large eggs the same size as wow's standard eggs?
Choice says that "For eggs to be labelled free range, the Model Code of Practice says there should be a maximum of 1500 hens per hectare." Woolworths free range eggs don't adhere to that as they have 10,000. Not all free-range labels are the same. Here's what woolworths 'free range' looks like compared to what it should be. The space for 10000 hens per hectare is not much better than caged eggs. I think you're kidding yourself a bit if you think supporting Woolworths free range eggs is any better.
If you're going to go free range, do it right. Otherwise, you're just giving incentive for companies to get away with these misleading labels whereas at least caged eggs are upfront about what it really is.
Sorry i have my own chickens so don't really know, also please ignore my comment since PJC mentioned free range eggs are cheaper at coles than the caged eggs.
That's alright, I think it's a huge misconception that all free-range are the same. The Australian national standard was set to be 10,000 per hectare which is a joke compared to the international standards used elsewhere. It's just making people believe they're doing something good when it's barely better than caged eggs. They should either implement it properly and have people deal with the extra cost of buying free range or scrap the concept entirely and not mislead the public as it's unfair for the companies that are adhering to lower hens per hectare. They should at least enforce companies to disclose on the packaging how many hens per hectare for transparency imo.
@BlazinPast: >The Australian national standard … is a joke … making people believe
In Australia many industries pay greedy politicians and political parties so they can write their own legislation which is why we have this free range definition idiocy and people believing that eating breakfast cereals is healthy and so on.
@BlazinPast: yes i agree, the other issue is even if stocking density is low there is still little regulating the amount of time they have to access outside.
@BlazinPast: you make some good points but a cage is way worse than a chicken having 1m2 to itself. People shouldn't be discouraged from buying free range, they should just be demanding that the definition improves. The sad state of affairs we have these days in politics is that the perfect is the enemy of the good, and this can be seen also in the climate change debate where 'we shouldnt bother because… China, we' re small, oil tankers produce more pollution than we do, car electricity comes from coal, blah blah ad infinitum. What we should be saying is Yes we can, and then fix the discrepancies. In the meantime don't feel good about yourself for buying cage eggs over not perfect free range ones.
Choice have an app called cluckAR which helps differentiate the free range to the imitation free range. It's a bit gimmicky but helped me make sure I wasn't buying the 10000/hectare eggs
Might not be up to your expectation. But it's almost certain even 10,000/ha chickens are better than caged ones. Want something better? (for the chicken) Then apart from your mouth, your wallet also needs to open.
While it's obviously not ideal, it's still much better than living in a 300300300 cage barely unable to even stand.
Barely unable means predominantly able.
It's not 10c when the local grocer sells caged eggs 700gms for $1.99
Cage Free is not free range but this is what i buy as it is middle of the road and not as bad as caged. I wont pay a heap more, but this is ok
Almost the same as free range hens are kept in a very crowded barn most of the time anyway.
Why does Woolworths even sell cage eggs anymore then.
They were actually $3 at Coles for a dozen last week, save $3.90 or so :)
Always free range. Apart from the cruelty aspect the hens that can fossick lay better tasting eggs. Unfortunately some egg producers are faking their eggs being free range and you need to check the bird density on the labels. Eventually the government will regulate out eggs from caged birds.
I'm glad you can taste the difference.
Around 95% of the population probably can't.
i presume you have a poll to go with that statistic, i would love to see the url for it.
42.7% of statistics are made up on the spot
@HarveySpecter: I remember it being higher, mostly likely it was 72.4%.
Harvey… always fabricating facts to win your argument, case in point, Mike Ross's Harvard law degree that was made up on the spot!
I remember a Don Burke episode years ago where he visited some woman that had free range eggs, and he was 'cackling' about how the yolks were such a deep rich yellow colour, tasted better, etc. Then a neighbour gave me some eggs their hens had just laid. They tasted and looked exactly the same as the Aldi caged ones in the fridge.
wasn't Don Burke a gardener, not a cook.
Did you know that humans can't see more than 30 fps?
It's pretty hard counting that fast. Is this an honesty deal?
I can taste the difference. There is also a consistency change.
You can almost certainly see the difference side by side - free range egg yolks are usually markedly richer/brighter in colour.
It's true. It's all the slaters and slugs they eat.
Its not about the taste, it's about animal cruelty.
Define “free range”, because the industry sure can’t. The term has done wonders at alleviating consumer guilt though.
There is actually a group of producers who have created their own accreditation scheme. It is the less scrupulous farmers, and the government, that are muddying the waters.
Weird answers in the poll, if it were simple as the title suggests it would be Yes/No.
Don't need to specify barn eggs, local farm, supermarket. All it does it break up the non-cage egg votes to make them seem smaller.Doubt it was through malicious intent. I prefer the yes/no broken down further as it gives more insight.
I wish there was a 'carton' option.
It was done with the options that I can think of. You go into coles and you can get caged or Barn or free range. However some people also buy free range locally or have their own hens.
As it is, not a single vote for Barn eggs so I don't think it really affects the vote. This just gives a bit of insight into how people buy eggs.
Apologies if you feel it is misleading. I was just curious since my previous comments ended up with an overall negative..where is the option for "cage eggs because all the other options are just marketing spin?" it is not a price decision for me.
i also eat veal, my car has leather seats, my outdoor cats arent neutered, and i vaccinate all my children.That option is called caged eggs.
and I vaccinate all my children
Ok I lol'd.
have a lady at work who owns chooks and get free fresh eggs from her
I think this is the best option. Can't trust company spin marketing, they're a bunch of unfeeling sociopaths who will say whatever they can to get you to buy the product, but Margaret who works in accounting won't let you down.
How much is she charging?
only $2 i supply my own egg cartons
You said they were free?
I think he means free range.
Known amongst open source advocates as "free as in chickens can breathe, not free as in beer".
same, I have a mate at work who owns chooks so I get fresh and free range eggs from him.- cartons provided on a swap and go basis :)
I can verify they are legit because I've picked them up from his house, and literally watched him collect the eggs.Only 2 for $7 or if he is feeling generous and/or got heaps, $3 a pop and they are truly XL eggs :)
What’s the difference between a beetroot and an egg?
You can beat an egg but you can’t beet a root!
The yoke's on you. Don't forget your coat.
well said,I remember that from many many years ago I am 75yrs now so it may give you an idea as to how long ago
Yeah but beating your root sometimes ends in them filing a police report if you forget their safe word.
but you can’t beet a root
But you can root a beet.
And you shouldn't beat before a root anyway.
And you shouldn't beat before a root anyway.
Depends how trigger happy you are.
No, they usually come in cardboard cartons.
After working at a chicken farm in my late teens, I'll never buy a caged egg, or 'barn laid', ever again.
Barn laid is a load of shit. Our 'barn laid' chickens only saw about an hour of sunlight a day. Seeing the conditions a shed full of 15,000 chickens live in, made me sick to the stomach.
I really suggest thinking twice before buying what's on special. There's a reason puppy farms and petshops are being shut down.
I guess out of sight, out of mind, unfortunately.
Edit: I buy Valley Park Farm eggs, because you can view the chickens on a webcam on their website.
Lol. Troll.
Valley Park Farmeggs operate well above the rspca standard for stocking density at 5,500 birds per ha. 4x the recommended maximum. You aren’t buying free range from them, you’re buying their marketing.
Hi there
Do you have a source for that? I can't find it on their website.
If you're right, that makes me a bit sad :(
Download choice's cluckAR app and it'll tell you the density of different brands
Didn't learn much working at a chicken farm did you? You can always tell that when the chickens are stressed they sweat from their beaks. Caged chickens are always happier than free range.
When I used to do inspections at open area barns, there were always dead chickens because they were fighting, pecked to death, trampled or ends up eating bird droppings and spreading diseases. It's hard to contain diseases in a chicken farm, then we end up killing the lot of birds because its not fit for human consumption.
One who ever worked at a "free range" farm knows that chickens barely go out. They like to stay snug and bunched up together.Either way, free range or caged, our impact won't make a difference. The main customer for caged or double yolked eggs are sold to the bakery industry and large food producing companies.
I only buy Sunny Queen free range, it's the only Choice recommended free range brand I can find in Woollies, besides their Macro organic ones. Does anyone know what other brands have stocking densities of 1500 hens or less per hectare that can be bought in Sydney supermarkets?
I buy Southern Highland organic free range from Woolworths in Sydney. They are only 800 per hectare.
Thanks for that. I don't think I've seen it in the Woolworths around my area, I'll keep a look out
It's strange that very few woolies stock it anymore, but those eggs taste great.
i buy macro organic. price is huge but i dont eat eggs that often.
stocking densities isn't anything- from what i've googled, lots of free range places keep all the chickens in a shed with a tiny door to get out, and keep their food inside to encourage them to never leave the shed. maybe its for their protection. I dont know what the right conditions are for a chicken.
I've picked them up at both burwood and ashfield. Not sure availability outside that.
The Good Farmer Eggs Free Range 700g are also similarly rated and sometimes cheaper at Woollies.
Thanks. I haven't seen that one either at my local supermarkets, I think I need to check out other Woollies.
The Good Farmer is a WA brand, so probably only available within the state.
Where's the $400k choice?