imeverywoman Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I have never had fresh eggs. What do I need to know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I'm no help, but I just had to say that when I went to a local farm to buy eggs and found out the price, I wanted to ask where to go to get a loan to pay for them! They were about 3 times the price I was used to paying. Best wishes on getting healthy eggs at a good price! Chelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 You should ask if she will ship some to me. :001_smile: I can't find any within a 40 mile radius, at least until May, when our farmer's market will resume. Then ask if she would like you to save your cartons for next time. If you have not had yard-fresh eggs before, you are in for a nice surprise. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Nothing much to really know. Fresh eggs are awesome! Only thing I would do is wash the eggs before cracking them. That's it! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imeverywoman Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 If the price is somewhat similar to those in the store, the eggs are probably not organic, but still likely to be fresher and perhaps from better living conditions. If the price is considerably higher, ask if they are organic. You might also ask how old they are and whether they have been washed. You could also ask if the chickens are free range. Our free range chicken eggs have very vivid red-orange yolks due to all the bugs and natural things the hens are eating. The eggs from hens eating a commercial diet or one that is the same every day will probably not have such intense color. Just in case you are interested, you could ask what breeds of egg layers she has. That way, if you find you prefer a certain size or color of egg, you can ask for them specifically (Golden Comet eggs or Buff Orpington eggs, etc.) I don't know if the different breeds' eggs taste different, I guess I'm not that much of an egg conoisseur. However, IM uneducated O, the feed the hens are eating would affect taste more than the breed of hen does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I pay $5- $5.50 in the larger city, I hear they can go for $7 a doz. These are organic... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imeverywoman Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Great information! Thank you so much! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 If you are going for the natural, organic thing, you will want to know what she feeds them. Is she feeding them chicken feed filled with antibiotics and other yuck stuff, or free-range, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) I would ask her how the chickens are fed. Are they free range or grain fed? Make sure she is not feeding them something with growth hormones. Antibiotics are actually okay through feed if the chicken is sick, etc. You just don't want one being fed a bunch of hormones. Most people who raise chickens for eggs don't use the hormones, though because they don't need the chickens to be fat in order to lay. We have 20 free range buff orpingtons (though we do feed them layer pellet when it snows because they can't free range in the snow) and we have so many fresh eggs, we end up giving them away to family and friends. Maybe we should sell them! Those prices are awesome. Of course, it is cheaper just to have a few free range chickens in the yard! LOL Edited March 1, 2010 by Tree House Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I like to know what they're been fed and generally how they're being raised. Last year our CSA guy gave us eggs gathered that day from chickens that were fed some grain and penned in different parts of his fields to forage. Sometimes he'd go get the eggs right when we were there. They were ugly eggs -- every shape and color and unwiped/unwashed -- but they were the best eggs I've ever had. That's my ideal, but you don't always find that. I haven't found a source that good without driving further than I'd like to go, but we do get them through our food co-op from a farm that uses good feed and has them foraging. They're not as fresh and they obviously wash them, but they're still superior to anything at the grocery store. Sometimes local homeschool families will bring them to events to sell, and those are good too, but I ask a lot of questions before I buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Definitely ask about feed. I'd also want to know about living conditions. Aside from that, it depends what you mean by local. If you mean city raised (not uncommon around here) and the neighbourhood is an old one, I'd ask if the eggs have been tested for lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I've seen them go for anywhere between $3-$5 a dozen around here. The lower price is usually directly from the farmer at the farm. The higher prices at the farmer's market downtown that sports higher end clientel. To everyone who talks about how great they taste, is this when you are just eating fried eggs? Because I bought some once and could taste absolutely no difference, but I only use them in baking and wondered if that was why I couldn't tell a difference. Only 2 out 7 people will actually eat fried eggs here so we never bother to use them that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 To everyone who talks about how great they taste, is this when you are just eating fried eggs? Because I bought some once and could taste absolutely no difference, but I only use them in baking and wondered if that was why I couldn't tell a difference. Only 2 out 7 people will actually eat fried eggs here so we never bother to use them that way. We usually eat them scrambled or in an omelette, or boiled, and you can definitely tell a difference. I did a blind taste test with my family to confirm, and it was unanimous that the yard eggs tasted better. I use plain 'ole grocery store eggs for baking. My palate is not nearly sensitive-enough to detect the difference in baking. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I would also confirm the size of egg you are receiving. One of my dh's customers regularly gives us eggs but they are not the large/x-tra large ones I am accustomed to buying at the grocery store. Sometimes they are the very small ones that chickens also lay and I have to weigh them/use 2 for 1 kinds of things when cooking in recipes. A friend now sells eggs and tries to only sell the largest that the hens have laid so that the buyer doesn't have to do that adjustment. I would also ask how they are stored before you buy - are they packaged fresh, or stored in the frig for a couple of days or so. And, do they candle them to make sure you don't get any surprises in the eggs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Are they organic? Are the chickens free-ranging and able to eat bugs, etc.? If they are given any feed, what type is it? Are the eggs fertilized? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.