Free-range eggs [Food/Vendor]

2016 Aug 22
I would like to buy free-range eggs. I am willing to travel a bit to get them but I have no idea where I can buy them. I would likely buy a couple of dozen at a time every few weeks. Suggestions?

2016 Aug 22
I have seen signs on the road leading to Mt. Cascades. I can ask around . . .

I know you are now allowed to keep hens in Gatineau.

2016 Aug 22
Have you tried the Ottawa organic market?

Organic Girl should be able to guide you on who at the market has free run eggs. I believe hers are all spoken for through her CSA. IF she doesn't see this, the contact link on her webiste is

www.funnyduckfarms.com/contact


2016 Aug 22
Krusty keep some free run chickens and sold us some eggs when we did the sausage workshop

2016 Aug 22
Free run eggs shouldn't be that hard to find. I think Bekings would fit the bill.

Did you mean free *run* or free *range*. The former are still in a barn, the latter go outside.

Also eggs labeled organic must also be free range.
choosecagefree.org

I buy organic eggs by the dozen at Cedars. They have lovely orangey yolks.

Ratty.

2016 Aug 22
felinefan meant free *range*. I've updated the topic and her original post to reflect this. :)

2016 Aug 23
Yes, lovetoeat is correct, there are lots of eggs at the Ottawa Organic Farmers Market, all will be organic and all will be free range. Unless something has changed radically there since we were vendors there 3 years ago.

Any eggs that are certified organic must have not only outside access, but actually have to go outside. There are always stories of the big farms having a teeny tiny door for the hens to get out so the hens never leave the building but the eggs are marketed at 'free-range'. Buy certified organic, or better yet at the farm gate and go see for yourself how the chickens are raised.

Also, as a point of interest, many of the certified organic eggs in the stores actually come from small farms. They are purchased by the bigger companies for re-sale. Raising free-range birds on a large scale is tricky. The organic eggs in the store may not be as fresh though. The organic eggs often pile up at the grading stations and they do an organic run once or twice a month. So, the organic eggs sit a while before reaching the store, but the conventional ones are graded and shipped out immediately.

If you want to go direct through a farmer, you can also try the listings at justfood.ca

And if you are willing to go further a field, try these two listings: lanarklocalflavour.ca www.frontenacarchbiosphere.ca

2016 Aug 23
I could be wrong, but think some of the Lansdowne farmers market stalls sell free-range.
Also pretty sure I've seen them at Whole Foods, but ymmv.

2016 Aug 24
Ahhhhh chickens today just are not like they used to be in the olden days. Back when I was young and walked to school uphill, chickens roamed the yard foraging for their diet of grasses, bugs and other good finds.

Now chickens sit inside, play on their iPhone, play video game and IM with other chickens. You cant get them out of the coop no matter what you say to them. They are just lazy. Etc.

2016 Aug 24
Krusty, do you sell your lazy chicken's eggs?

2016 Aug 24
We really don't have extras at the moment as I have downsized the flock considerably. Actually more like barter some older hens for some hours in a machine shop :)

2016 Aug 30
About a year ago the Metro on Beechwood ave sold eggs from "hens on pasture" I believe.