Farm fresh, barn, free range and organic ? what’s the difference?
Organic eggs are laid by chickens that are free to roam a piece of land and while this is inevitably fenced in some way, they have ample amounts of natural space, daylight and fresh air and they're provided with a barn or smaller coops in which to shelter from the rain and wind. As well as this, they are fed solely on organic corn, making them happy and healthy.
While some activists still don't think the organic regulations go far enough, what you need to take into consideration is that chickens are what are known as flocking birds so they will tend to group together anyway. The best way to keep their environment lush and green is to rotate them regularly between different plots of land.
If you simply can't afford to buy organic eggs, the next best thing is the free range option. Most people will probably think that this is the one to go for as this is what has been drummed into us for the last couple of years. In fact, they have exactly the same lifestyle as the organic chicken in terms of living space but they can be fed growth-promotion hormones as well as their normal food. While their living conditions are pretty much as good as it gets, their diet can leave a lot to be desired.
So, the barn egg, this is the worst surely? Wrong, it's the second from worst and sees chickens with a tiny amount of living space and virtually no fresh air or sunlight. They do have access to different levels and perches but all inside and industrial sized barn and with serious competition from other pent up chickens.
The worst is the farm fresh egg so what a seriously clever marketing technique because farm fresh definitely conjures up images of perky chickens happily clucking and pecking around a nice country farm and laying whenever they feel like it but the truth is very different. What you'll see if you visit ‘farm fresh' chickens is a huge barn absolutely packed full of unhappy, bullied and scrawny chicken who desperately need sunlight, fresh air and space to move about but don't even know it because this is the life they've always known. By continuing to buy the cheapest farm fresh eggs you are in fact saying this it's ok to treat chickens like this and instead, why not spend a few pence extra and buy free range or organic eggs?
All of these will be available at your local supermarket where you'll also be able to buy fairtrade food and fairtrade coffee.