Wherein I discuss hormone laden eggs

[Stinky The Clown]

Today I used the last two eggs in a dozen gotten at the local Safeway.

The twelve eggs in that dozen produced twenty four yolks. I recall, as a kid, what an event it was when one of my grandfather's chickens produced a double yolk. There was some sort of folklore associated with it, but I can't recall what, exactly, it was. I seem to recall that the egg should be eaten by any young married woman who wished to conceive. Or something like that. In any case, the double yolk was a big deal and, in the case of the chickens from my grandfather's coop, an all natural occurrence.

My dozen of double yolked eggs was probably not quite so natural. My dozen of double yolked eggs was likely a chemical inducement. A hormonal grease applied to the laying mechanism of the little birds. A little help to keep them a-laying.

Why are fresh, local eggs 50% more cost?

Cost aside, hopfuly this will be my last experience with eggs from the sooper market. As long as I can find fresh, local eggs at places like roadside farm stands, that's what I'll buy.

[elleng]

1. Thanks, Stinky; will do the same.

Farm stand nearby on NH Ave.
My concern: my daughters, ready to have babies; IMO, great and yet undetermined harm from this to children, and particularly visible among girls now.

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. I grew up on a farm

among other things we had a commercial egg operation where we produced hatchery eggs. I've known more than a few commercial egg producers - including folks that produced commercial quantities of organic and free range eggs.

Eggs are sorted - and sold - by size. At any given time across a flock of chickens you will find some that produce very small eggs and some that produce very, very large eggs. As chickens age they tend to produce eggs that have thinner shells and multiple yolks. Eggs with multiple yolks tend to be jumbo size - sometimes larger. That pattern of egg production is consistent with what we see in our own species.

If the egg is labelled as organic then there are no chemicals, hormones or antibiotics used in the food, water or housing of the flock - or to treat any animal in the flock. In non-organic eggs, anti-biotic use in the feed is far more common than hormone use. Some of the premium egg producers have experimented widely with various feed formulas that produce flavored eggs that are sold to commercial bakeries. The distribution of food and water to a commercial flock is such that all recieve the same food and water.

Contrary to what is widely portrayed by animal rights activists not all commercial egg producers confine the chickens to small cages or feed anit-biotic and hormone ladden meal. I personally have known commercial egg producers for nearly 50 years and I have NEVER seen the kind of conditions often complained about. I have however on many occassions observed off-site video feeds to monitor the care and conditions of the flocks. Of course, this is the kind of stuff that is more commonly done by the larger name brand premium egg producers who are better able to absorb the expense.

Odds are you bought jumbo size non-organic eggs probably laid by an older flock of chickens. Try the large size eggs sold by the same producer and odds are that they will be almost exclusively single yolk eggs. And if you want to insure that you are not getting eggs that have been impacted by artifical hormones then buy organic.



As for fresh, local eggs - don't complain about the price. Even with the mark-up those producers are likely not earning a living wage. They do not have the volume of production or the distribution system of the large commercial producers to make that possible.

[freshwest]

4. I agree about the price. You get what you pay for, including supervision. Thanks for that info.

[Denninmi]

3. It may just be a matter of the sorting process.

Eggs go down the line and are visually inspected by "candling" with bright light. All of the unusual eggs are pulled out for special handling. Now, I don't know if that is what happened here, but perhaps they were manually packed into segregated cartons meant to go some other direction (processing?) and then ended up back on the line.

I have actually heard of some vendors at farm markets selling double yolked cartons for a premium.

I have my own birds, so no longer buy eggs. I get double yolkers quite often, probably on average once a week. A bonus.

[wildeyed]

5. I got a double yolk once from a very young bird.

What I read, their reproductive system is not quite ready to go yet and they produce odd eggs for a bit. I have had egg "farts" too. Very small eggs with no yolk at all.

It is very weird that you got an entire box of double yolks. I am guessing what someone else said, that they got pulled out and then accidentally sold.

I keep my own backyard flock, and it is much more expensive than buying store eggs when you account for the coop, food and medical costs. If you have access to building sites, it is possible to build a very nice coop from salvage, but it is some work too. Most people purchase something. Feed is expensive. My girls free range and get table scraps, but the bulk of their diet is pellets, especially in the heavy laying season. Medical costs. One of my girls got a scratched eyeball and I purchased ointment to treat it that was in the $30 range plus my time. How many cartons of commercial eggs can you get for $30? From a cost efficiency standpoint, it would have been smarter to let her suffer and maybe lose the eye. In a commercial operation, the injury would not have even been noted. If she got too sick, she would have been culled. So it all adds up.

I also do not cull. Chickens lay heavily for the first 2-3 years. After that they tend to slow down. Professional operations cull the older birds. To be honest, many small farms do too. But I do not. Everyone gets a meal ticket, even if they are not the most productive layer around.

On the plus side, the eggs from my backyard are much nicer than store eggs. Free range chickens eat weeds and bugs and get plenty of sunshine and fresh air, so the yolks are a bright golden color. Compare it to the anemic pastel yellow of store eggs. And there is likely less cruelty involved with smaller flocks. Mine is part of the family and our own tiny ecosystem.

So it is probably worth the small extra cost. Yanno, you could always get your own small flock. Chickens are surprisingly nice pets, in addition to being a great asset to the kitchen

Another hint, if you want to hard boil your local eggs, keep a dozen at the back of the fridge for a few weeks. Local eggs tend to be very fresh, and fresh eggs are hell to peel. I have had a few very unhappy deviled egg making sessions using too fresh eggs where the shells would not separate from the whites.