The Scoop on Chickens and Eggs

How to Buy Chickens and Eggs

Skinless Chicken can be a great source of protein. Eggs are not only a good source of easily digested protein but a good source of healthy fats (in the yolks).

The problem is today’s chicken and egg factories are riddled with disease and horrible food raising practices. No wonder their products are packed with antibiotics.

For instance, the FDA warns us all about the “dangers of salmonella.” In fact, chicken meat (and eggs) CAN NOT develop salmonella while sitting on your counter- UNLESS the chicken was diseased before being sold or the egg was laid by a diseased chicken. Instead of cleaning up the chicken factories creating the salmonella, the FDA put their funds into educating the public about how to eat diseased foods without getting sick.

So What Do the Labels mean? 

• Organic- government regulated and enforced means – NO pesticides or other artificial chemicals in the feed or environment. 
• Cage-free- can mean 10,000 chickens stuffed in a barn with no cages. 
• Free-Range- may only mean this barn has an opening to a concrete pad. 
• Natural- only means no antibiotics or hormones were added after slaughter. Has no meaning for how animal was raised or fed. 
• Farm-raised- has no meaning. All chicken factories call themselves farms. 
• No hormones added- has no real meaning, but is used to confuse in marketing- since USDA does not permit added hormones in any chicken (or pork). 
• Air Chilled Chicken- means instead of being submerged in cold chlorinated water with all the other dead chickens, this chicken was hung individually in a cold environment for processing. It means less transmission of harmful organisms, cuts out the chlorine, and avoids water retention in the flesh.

So What to Choose?

• Good- Organic
• Organic, air-chilled chickens
• Organic, cage-free, free-range eggs
• Better- Pastured (pasture-raised), organic chicken and eggs
• Best- Direct from Farmer
• Find a chicken farmer at the local Farmers Market who loves what they do, learn their practices and get your poultry directly from the source.
• Awesome- Raise your own backyard chickens! They are easy and fun. 
• Most towns allow a limited number of backyard chickens. Six chickens will produce 4-6 eggs a day! They need fresh water every day. They will eat all your kitchen scraps, plus some grain or chicken feed.