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.
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