Pastured hens provide us with the tastiest eggs ever! It’s a bucolic example of regenerative farming…animals doing what they instinctively love to do while building the soil and providing us with natural nutrient dense food. It sounds great but small scale pastured eggs come with a higher cost. Are they worth it?
Scarcity of Pastured Eggs
I wish truly pastured eggs were readily available. Unfortunately they're not, this speaks to our broken food system. Factory farmed eggs are abundant in every grocery store given the industrial scale; 60,000 hens in one barn but with deplorable living conditions and tasteless eggs. Free Range or Organic - sure they're available too - but the hens are almost always housed indoors with only limited outdoor access and if they have access to the outdoors it's the same pen day after day.
Nutritionally Superior
There is all sorts of data that shows pasture raised eggs are nutritionally superior to any other eggs out there. They contain K2 which is a very important vitamin that is only found in pastured animal products. It contributes to skin health, bone metabolism, and promotes proper brain function as well as prevents heart-related diseases. Pastured Eggs are also higher in Vitamin A, E and D and omega-3’s.
Hen’s Life
The reason pastured eggs are so nutrient dense is because of how the hen lives…naturally outdoors. Not in an artificial setting with no fresh air and industrial lighting with 20,000 (at the very least) of her closest friends, probably more. Pasture raised hens live their lives in the sunshine and fresh air doing what they naturally love to do. You can tell how happy they are by their vibrant combs and the way they sprint out into the fields in the morning and the way they retire to roost at the end of the day.
Environmental Impact
Pastured Hens are more than a commodity on our farm...they are part of a thriving ecosystem, making our planet better. The hens works synergistically with the cows. They are the clean up crew, by decimating/breaking apart the cow plops, spreading fertility by decimating and spreading cow plops by scratching. They are on the move throughout the day disturbing the pasture with their feet which exposes the crown of the young plants to sunlight. This contributes to healthier forage that stores carbon and fuels the cows. A beautiful, natural cycle.
We’re proud to provide nutritionally superior eggs from happy, healthy hens that are raised in a way that contributes to a flourishing farm ecosystem. Eggs that are healthier for you, the hen and our environment. Do you see value in these things? If so, pasture raised eggs are for you! Sign up for an Egg Share here