What You Might Think It Means: These birds don't need antibiotics because they are healthy and clean. It's like putting a label on a cereal box that says, "No toxic waste." What It Actually Means: This term is rather misleading, because it's illegal to give hormones to poultry, and no large-scale farms in the U.S. What You Might Think It Means:These birds were spared injections of nasty hormones that might cause them to sprout hair in unusual places and render them unhealthful for us to eat. One of the most common causes of death was pecking by other chickens. Over the course of their three-year study, less than 5 percent of birds in cages died, compared with more than 11 percent of cage-free birds. But crowded aviaries also come with risks: reduced air quality, and twice the likelihood of dying. She says cage-free birds have more feathers and stronger bones and exhibit more natural behaviors. Janice Swanson, an animal scientist at Michigan State University, has been leading a three-year study of egg production techniques. "They're not exactly living on Old McDonald's farm, but they're able to walk around, perch, lay their eggs in a nest and spread their wings - all important natural behaviors," he says.īut the science around the health of cage-free birds is less clear. Shapiro and other animal welfare advocates believe cage-free birds are better off than their caged counterparts. Each bird has, on average, 1 square foot of space. They usually live in aviaries: massive industrial barns that house thousands of birds. But they don't live in bucolic red barns, either. What It Actually Means: Exactly what it sounds like: The hens don't live in cages. What You Might Think It Means: Chickens happily wandering around a big red barn, pecking at corn kernels on a hay-covered floor - like the feeding farm I used to visit with my grandma. So unless a label tells you otherwise, you can assume this is what you're buying - even if it's labeled "Farm Fresh" or "All Natural." "The birds never go outside, are unable to spread their wings, and are essentially immobilized for their entire lives," says Shapiro.Įthics aside, this is by far the most common method of egg production. 1, though, eggs sold in California will have to come from chickens enjoying at least 116 square inches of space.Ĭage-free eggs for sale in 2008 in Knoxville, Tenn.īut many animal welfare advocates believe these battery cage facilities are inhumane. These cages house anywhere from four to 12 birds, giving each bird roughly 67 square inches of floor space (that's about the size of an iPad).Ĭome Jan. come from chickens raised in something called battery cages. Department of Agriculture and several universities, 95 percent of eggs in the U.S. produced?Īccording to the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply, a group that includes commercial egg producers, the U.S. Shapiro says it's an ironic term, too, "because are raised in the least natural conditions imaginable." What It Actually Means: Once again, this phrase has no real meaning. What You Might Think It Means: Chickens eating a "natural" diet and doing what chickens, you know, naturally do. He says the term is probably meant to conjure up a favorable image in the consumer's mind, but it has no substance whatsoever. and an expert on commercial egg production. What It Actually Means: "It literally means nothing," says Paul Shapiro, vice president of the Humane Society of the U.S. What You Might Think It Means: Your friendly local farmer rises at dawn to harvest a dozen (still warm) eggs and puts them into this egg carton, which is rushed to your local store. Consider it a glossary for the wannabe informed egg buyer. It was time to figure out what all this egg jargon actually means. This is what I've been doing ever since I moved back to the U.S. You are tired and hungry, so you just grab the cheapest one - or the one with the most adorable chicken illustration - and head for the checkout line. And so on.Īnd yet the longer you stare at them, the more confused you become. They're plastered with terms that all sound pretty wonderful: All-Natural, Cage-Free, Free-Range, Farm Fresh, Organic, No Hormones, Omega-3. You're in the supermarket gathering ingredients for eggnog and a Christmas Bundt cake, and you're staring at a wall of egg cartons. Free-range eggs from Pennypack Farm in Pennsylvania.
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