Humane Eggs? [General]
2012 Jan 23
May not be of that much help, but The Cornucopia Institute in the US produces a list of farms and their practices, including debeaking, and ranks them accordingly. If you're near the border then you might be able to find Windy Ridge, Neversink or Kingbird products, they're all listed as being in upstate NY and they don't de-beak birds. Perhaps give them a call and see if they distribute to anyone in Canada.
www.cornucopia.org
www.cornucopia.org
2012 Jan 23
The chickens at Saffire Farms do not get to roam free per se but I've seen the operation and I'm comfortable with the way the animals are treated. There are portable pens that the birds get to go into, which get moved around the pasture. So they are still protected by a fence from predators, but they do get to do some limited roaming.
And definitely not debeaked. And not overcrowded
But they are in short supply and already taken up by CSA customers (at an extra charge outside of the CSA). The eggs actually began as a 4H project run completely by the teenage son who is very strict about only organic feed for them (no non-organic table scraps, for example). He still runs the whole operation but it is no longer a 4H project I don't think.
And definitely not debeaked. And not overcrowded
But they are in short supply and already taken up by CSA customers (at an extra charge outside of the CSA). The eggs actually began as a 4H project run completely by the teenage son who is very strict about only organic feed for them (no non-organic table scraps, for example). He still runs the whole operation but it is no longer a 4H project I don't think.
2012 Jan 23
Try riverglenfarm.ca/retail/
I can't give you specifics about the eggs, but you can contact them through their website.
I can't give you specifics about the eggs, but you can contact them through their website.
2012 Jan 23
Another suggestion : maybe try to go with non-chicken eggs?
Duck or goose eggs might be a good option. Adjusting recipes for those is doable. As these birds don't tend to try to kill each other, they don't get de-beaked, AFAIK.
(Ostriches and emus are expensive animals and therefore tend to be well treated and kept in nice big pens, but the eggs are a bit impractical.)
Duck or goose eggs might be a good option. Adjusting recipes for those is doable. As these birds don't tend to try to kill each other, they don't get de-beaked, AFAIK.
(Ostriches and emus are expensive animals and therefore tend to be well treated and kept in nice big pens, but the eggs are a bit impractical.)
2012 Feb 6
Update!
No luck with chicken eggs yet, but they do sell Brome Lake duck eggs at T and T. I spoke with a rep at Brome Lake, and sadly the ducks are not allowed outside, but they do have the whole barn to roam in, and their beaks are not clipped. Gotta start somewhere, right
The egg is twice the size (and nutritional value) of a chicken egg. There is a higher yolk:white ratio that in chicken eggs, but otherwise I did not detect a difference in flavour. It was quite rich and enjoyable over homefries.
No luck with chicken eggs yet, but they do sell Brome Lake duck eggs at T and T. I spoke with a rep at Brome Lake, and sadly the ducks are not allowed outside, but they do have the whole barn to roam in, and their beaks are not clipped. Gotta start somewhere, right
The egg is twice the size (and nutritional value) of a chicken egg. There is a higher yolk:white ratio that in chicken eggs, but otherwise I did not detect a difference in flavour. It was quite rich and enjoyable over homefries.
2012 Feb 6
Hmmm, de-beaked at the hatchery? Yes, if the farm requests it and pays for it. I forget the fee, because we don't de-beak our chickens.
Most local, or small farms are probably not raising de-beaked birds, unless they bought them as 'ready to lay pullets'. Certified Organic farms cannot use de-beaked birds.
Try looking thru the listings at Just Food, and other 'get-customers-in contact-with-farmers' type organizations. I think there's a thread about that on here somewhere too.
I've heard that the company Small Flocks Delight has good eggs. Not sure who sells 'em where, but I've seen them listed in the ONFC catalogue. I'd put links in, but my computer isn't co-operating!
Edit: I said 'good eggs', but I may have been better to say, 'eggs from good chickens', as in they raise small flocks, (100-500 birds), they have them on grass, they use heritage and non-GMO grains.
Most local, or small farms are probably not raising de-beaked birds, unless they bought them as 'ready to lay pullets'. Certified Organic farms cannot use de-beaked birds.
Try looking thru the listings at Just Food, and other 'get-customers-in contact-with-farmers' type organizations. I think there's a thread about that on here somewhere too.
I've heard that the company Small Flocks Delight has good eggs. Not sure who sells 'em where, but I've seen them listed in the ONFC catalogue. I'd put links in, but my computer isn't co-operating!
Edit: I said 'good eggs', but I may have been better to say, 'eggs from good chickens', as in they raise small flocks, (100-500 birds), they have them on grass, they use heritage and non-GMO grains.
2012 Feb 7
I have some hens that are debeaked that I inherited and some that are not. I do not request it when ordering new hens. Though I can confirm that whether or not they are debeaked they have a good life roaming through the yard and are still able to forage.
My eggs are spoken for but you can check out my neighbors....
andersonfarm.ca as they have plenty and their hens are free range during the day. Am pretty sure nobody lets their hens stay out at nite :)
My eggs are spoken for but you can check out my neighbors....
andersonfarm.ca as they have plenty and their hens are free range during the day. Am pretty sure nobody lets their hens stay out at nite :)
Tina
I do my best to eat only animal products from animals that are treated humanely (understanding that there are people who don't believe this is possible if the animal is being kept in captivity or killed for human consumption). I eat very little meat/fish now, and I am happy with the dairy and cheese I eat. I'm having trouble with eggs.
I was already eating free-roam eggs, but I have since learned that major free-roam operations have terrible overcrowding problems, and the chickens are de-beaked (meaning that soon after hatching the chicks' beaks are either burned or clipped off, preventing regrowth, so they can't peck each other). I have found no source that successfuly disproves that this is a painful and inhumane practice, so I'm trying to find eggs that come from hens that are cage-free, that get to go outside, and that have beaks left intact.
Most of the "natural" food stores and butchers have Bekings eggs, and I spoke with Chris Beking this morning. He told me that the hens are debeaked at the hatchery before they get to the farm. He also said that there are regulations that prevent them from letting the chickens outside.
Does anyone have any recommendations about where I could find eggs from non-de-beaked chickens? I'm happy to learn as much as I can about whether or not this is a realistic quest or not...