Colorado Reader 01/2016 | Page 3

Giving You A Choice

There are many choices when it comes to buying eggs. You can buy white eggs, brown ones, and many other colors. You can buy eggs from hens fed a special diet.
You can make your selection of eggs based on how the hens are raised. For example, hens are kept in many different housing systems. You can choose eggs raised in cage-free housing, enriched colony systems, conventional cages or pasture raised. The choice is yours. Egg farmers will produce what you want to buy.

CRACKING

THE

EGG CODE

Laid by hens not housed in enclosures. Hens roam in a building, room or open area that includes nest space and perches.
Laid by hens in enclosures that also serve as nesting space.
Laid by hens who roam and forage on a maintained pasture area. The USDA does not recognize a labeling definition for pastured eggs as no standards are established.
Laid by hens in enclosures that include perch space, dust bathing or scratch areas and nest space.
Laid by cage-free or free-range hens raised on certified organic feed and have access to the outdoors. The feed is grown without most synthetic pesticides, fungicides, herbicides or fertilizers and 100 % of the agricultural ingredients must be certified organic.
CONVENTIONAL
CAGE-FREE
PASTURE RAISED
ENRICHED COLONY
CERTIFIED ORGANIC
BROWN
FREE-RANGE
PASTEURIZED
OMEGA-3 ENRICHED
VEGETARIAN FED
The color of the egg shell has nothing to do with the egg ' s nutritional value, quality or flavor. Hens with white feathers and white ear lobes lay white eggs; hens with red feathers and red ear lobes lay brown eggs
.
Laid by hens not housed in enclosures and with access to the outdoors. In addition to eating grains, these hens may forage for wild plants and insects.
Eggs heated to a temperature just below the coagulation point to destroy pathogens.
Laid by hens fed a special diet rich in omega-3s. These eggs provide more omega-3 fatty acids, from 100 mg to over 600 mg per egg.
Laid by hens fed a vegetarian diet.
Source: American Egg Board
www. growingyourfuture. com 3