Choose eggs from happy chickens

Hey everyone

I just saw this extremely disturbing video….

http://meatvideo.com/

I know the video depicts condition in the USA

Is it the same in Canada for all animals we consume?

Is there proof?

I want to know the truth

I contacted a major supermarket chain and they said that all the animals salughtered in Canada are treated humanely

Is this true?

I do agree that Organic is a better choice but it does not mean that all these chickens are Happy. Most organic hens are spent after only a couple years and then sent to be chicken stock once they no longer produce eggs. Have you seen any roosters around? That is because organic or not, male chicks are still killed at birth since they are of non use in the industry, usually ground up alive or suffocated. I understand educating the public to make better choices and I do thank for that but to say they are happy is to say that it is the best choice and it is not. Some Organic hens are also debeaked… there is a great link to liberation BC that speaks directly to Organic Egg Farming. http://liberationbc.org/issues/humane The best choice is not eat eggs, I feel like that is when chickens are truly happy.

Rabbit River Farms offers eggs that are free-range organic bcspca certified in a paper carton. Best I’ve seen yet.

I would disagree that organic is best. Pastured is best — chickens should eat bugs, grubs and scratch for the good stuff. Anything the human gives them should be organic, but they should be feeding themselves for the most part.

Buying organic chicken feed is next to imposible, I've tried. I've only seen it advertized in the US and it is very expensive and once you figure in the pollution and expence from trucking it, it is not viable. Best solution I could come up with was to feed my chicks duck starter, as it has no ampro (a antibiotic) added and to buy my feed from a small local feed mill, that uses localy grown grain. It's been a strange winter here,(an hour north of Toronto) but my "girls" have been enjoying being out. It worryies me thou… Please keep informing the public that there are cruel free choises, they just have to be informed that there are different solutions if they look. Thank you for your artical, from a small farmer doing her best.

I love having our own chickens! We get a variety of blue-green, pink and brown eggs of all different sizes, and often have enough to share with neighbors. Some of our chickens will sit on your arm and chat with you, which takes care of our birdy companionship needs. This eliminates the desire for an indoor caged tropical bird. As people who thrive on interactions with multiple species, this is a big plus for us!

I try to go with buying from a local farmer who lets chickens with names roam in a pesticide-free field, munching down on tasty (to them) bugs and organic hormone-free feed. Of course there's no way to ensure the bugs are pesticide-free, but at least the rest of the feed is controlled. We take our own cartons too —- but the chickens don't lay year-round so sometimes we're stuck with buying organic from the store.

Is the brand pictured here the only one in a paper container? Every time I see organic eggs they are in plastic containers. I refuse to buy plastic anymore and just cant seem to win with eggs.

Thank you for this article… It came at exactly the right time. We are just starting to introduce foods other than breastmilk to our daughter. In an effort to get her iron requirements from non ‘fortified’ and processed sources we were looking at eggs. This article landed in my inbox as I was starting my research. Problem solved — thank you!

Good tips today. Thanks! Please will you investigate Melaeucca products. The company has a full range of products most of which are based on the Melaleucca Alternifolia Tree Oil. This tree is an Australian Gum tree and the oil has long been used by the Aboriginals for many medicinal prurposes. I too have used the concentrated oil for many purposes and find it very effective. Their cleaning products are all phosphate free and very concentrated; lasting for ages. The company is USA based and does not have the Canadian Ecofriendly sign. I would like your opinion. Thanks !

Thank you for the article. For the last 6 months I have been asking people what the difference was between free range and free run and was not even aware of the organic label. Folks at the grocery store did not know what the labels meant. I now know what to buy. certified organic.

While this is a mostly-accurate overview of the uselessness of terms such as “cage-free” and “free-run”, it still unfortunately provides a cloudy picture for those looking for clarity in what they are putting in their bodies.

The term “organic” on its own is completely meaningless. It is not a controlled term. You can call anything organic under any standards- or lack thereof- that you care to dream up. Even the certifications that you mention lack many standards that would truly make egg production humane, healthy, and sustainable.

There is absolutely no substitute for “knowing your farmer”. If you truly care what goes in your body, you will buy eggs from a local farm that you have visited. You need to know the farm’s philosophy, see the animals being tended to, see what they eat and how they’re treated. And, most importantly, see how they are dispatched when they are too old to produce eggs.

I think it’s important to make informed decisions on what I eat, but I do not rely on shiny marketing logos that I know do not mean what they portray.

Organic doesn’t mean free-range outdoor chickens, just means the feed is organic and they don’t get drugs. Free-range organic is the way to go.

we had our own ‘freedom’ chickens last summer and we loved our girls so very much. we treated them like queens with strawberries and yogurt for breakfast and de’lish garden dinners.. they fed freely on our gardens and hunted in our pond. we treated them well and in return they gave us the most fabulous eggs we’ve ever feasted on. its amazing how you learn to be thankful for such a small creature that gives back. we were happy for them, and they were happy for us. it was very sad when we lost our girls and we look forward to adopting some new ladies this spring. over the winter we have bought our eggs from local backyard farmers. its not a buisness any of them profit from but its pure joy to see how we support them and it brings us happiness that we eat ‘happy eggs’ from happy ‘ladies’… and our kids know it too.

Does anyone out there know of farms or places in northern Ontario (Sudbury, North Bay, New Liskeard area) where organic beef, chicken, eggs, etc. can be purchased???

i have back yard chickens or urban chickens ,yes they are happy they eat all the compost and scraps(carrott peels ect )every 4 house should have them ,stereriod chicken eggs are pumped with hormones and are not tested and other foods could be the reason for all sorts of cancers ect…

Very concerned about news that GM wheat is about to bu unleashed on an unsuspecting Canadian population.

Personally, I don’t eat eggs anymore after finding out about the horrors going on in the egg indusrty. Male chicks being ground up alive, chickens so fat that their little legs can;t even support their bodies, living in their own feces, caged their entire lives, beaks being cut off when they are born, workers abusing them. This is unacceptable!

Actually, if you choose to eat eggs, “Certified Humane” are the ONLY eggs you should buy!

Eating a planet-friendly diet includes consuming less meat, eggs, and dairy products? That’s not true. Eating a planet-friendly diet includes consuming NO meat, eggs, and dairy products. If you are not vegan, go vegan. It is easy. It is better for your health and for the planet. But, most important, it is the morally right thing to do.

Thanks!!! I have spent much time in the grocery store trying to figure out just what the labels meant. I usually wound up with organic because I had no idea the difference between free run, free range, and cage free. Now I know and am so glad that I have been choosing the right one all along!

I have 5 beautiful hens that run around my 1 acre plot, eating greens, bugs, dust bathing even jumping into trees — as chickens are naturally supposed to do. They lay the best eggs anyone has ever tasted (so their fan club says!!!) they are easy to keep and each has a different personality, I totally suggest getting your own hens, I have a queue of folks waiting for eggs.

If I can’t get organic eggs, I don’t buy. It’s as simple as that. Fortunately, I have just learned that the share of organic eggs sold in Denmark is rising.

Quadra gal, Thanks for the note about pasture raised. My goal in this column was to define claims you see most often, illustrating that many are actually not certified claims but created by industry. Of course the best claims, like certified organic and BC SPCA certified eggs likely include pasture-raised birds. It’s just not a certified term. Thanks for bringing this term to my attention, Lindsay Coulter Queen of Green

Even better, you would be surprised rewarding it is to keep a couple of hens or ducks for eggs if you have a yard. They are entertaining, often personable and laying fresh organic eggs you can just pad out to the garden coop to gather fresh and warm from under a fluffy hen. I just got mine this year and was so surprised how easy they are to keep , I have already added one more hen . Adding flax and kelp to their grains and allowing my hens to free range during the day in my organic garden , I think I get the best eggs possible.