Deconstructing the Egg Carton

raise your own chickens and avoid this problem altogether.

There is no such thing as a cage free and free range egg, unless perhaps you have your own chicken(s) and own your own property and oversee their care and well-being. You cannot produce eggs for the masses or at least have any large production of eggs without denying them grass to walk on and sunlight, and be slaughtering them the minute they cease to give you eggs that you need to sell for your business. Most companies that sell eggs abuse the terms "free range" and "cage free" completely; use these for marketing to well meaning but uninformed consumers. The chickens are still treated as nothing more than producers... their baby chicks taken away from them... and the films where they are so roughly handled and thrown out like garbage when they are no longer producing eggs are heart breaking. People don't want to watch this footage but it is out there and they should care.

The above article doesn't really give any information but hopefully people will wake up and find out more about where their food comes from, stop eating so unconsciously, and care about the sentient beings, the animals, forced to produce for us and denied their own free will on such a huge and cruel scale.

@commenters - I see where you're coming from and somewhat agree. I've given up on happy chickens producing eggs for the grocery store but we buy eggs from very happy chickens at our farmers market. We are extremely lucky to have local farmers raising truly happy, outdoor chickens and I know most people don't have this but they do exist. Interestingly enough the farmers market eggs are 25% cheaper than the 'cage-free' eggs at the grocery store.

While I agree that one mega farm can't supply eggs to the masses without sacrificing basic animal welfare, many smaller farms certainly can. Buying eggs from a farmer you know and trust is one of the best ways to improve your nutrition and support high-welfare farms. One label Ms. Price mentions in her article is Animal Welfare Approved (www.AnimalWelfareApproved.org). This free accreditation addresses many of the concerns raised in other labels. On Animal Welfare Approved farms, birds must be raised on pasture (which naturally increases the amount of Omega 3's and CLA's in the eggs), flock sizes are limited to 500, and added hormones, antibiotics and beak trimming are prohibited. This accreditation can only be awarded to sustainable, independent family farms. Ms. Prices calls it "utopia" for chickens!

> While I agree that one mega farm can't supply eggs to the > masses without sacrificing basic animal welfare, many
> smaller farms certainly can.

Nope. Half of the "egg laying" breeds are born male, and get shredded alive in wood choppers or gassed shortly after hatching. Whatever dream-on-label denies this fact, is selling lies.

Any organization which calls this welfare has this blood on their hands as well.

Anybody who knows this yet still uses euphemisms like "family farm" (awww...) to "pretty up" the act, is cynical at best and callous at worst.

Those who don't know: There is only one way to guarantee animal welfare, it's so simple it hurts. Don't consume anything which has "animal" in it.