Free range EggsThe saying, “Health is Wealth” has always been mantra for individuals who value their physical well-being and are determined in its pursuit. Eggs happen to be a rich source of protein and other essential nutrients, but the stakes can be raised with healthier variants of the same. Scientifically proven facts reveal that hens who have the option of grazing the greener pastures lay eggs that are richer in nutritious values, in comparison to their contemporaries.
Free Range Eggs happen to exemplify such variants which have been gaining exponential popularity in the last couple of decades. In other variants like the cage-free or the barn-laid ones, the hens do not have the privilege of the outdoor environment and are restricted to an indoor barn environment.
Free Range Eggs – Healthy and Tasty
These eggs happen to be those farm eggs that ensure that the hens are exposed to outdoor grazing during the day and are housed under sheds at night. The outdoor daytime facilitates frolic on the pastures which expose the birds to a variety of different bugs apart from grass and other fruits and veggies.
This results in considerable enhancement of nutritious value as well as taste coupled with richer and darker yolks as far as the eggs laid by these hens are concerned. Studies have also confirmed that Free Range Eggs contain higher levels of antioxidants like flavonoid and carotenoid, in these eggs as compared to those laid by the hens housed in indoor barns.
Also, higher levels of protein and higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids make these eggs the most sought-after ones. They also happen to have less cholesterol as compared to regular or caged ones. Organic eggs too, have their fair share of the market, where no chemicals are used for the livestock and the hens are fed organically grown grains.
Farms that produce such free-range variants facilitate free-range sheds attached to the nest boxes where the hens lay their eggs every day. Such boxes are specifically designed with a tilt that allows the laid eggs to be collected over a conveyor belt which leads them to the depository.
Free Range Eggs – Distinctive Parameters
As per Federal Laws, eggs can be labeled as Free Range only if the eggs come from those hens that are allowed to roam and forage outdoors for at least 8 hours every day. The parameter for stocking density for such eggs outdoors is 10000 hens per hectare, which translates to 1 hen per square meter. Farms that happen to label the eggs as free range must comply with the above and the stocking density of the farm should be mentioned in the cartons as a mandate.
However, free will also plays its part as farmers generally don’t force the hens to go outdoors and the hens can exercise their own will as to how long they would like to stay indoors or outdoors during the day. Observations confirm that some of them prefer to stay inside the shade, close to food and water whereas others exercise their will to remain outdoors.
To get a comprehensive idea as to how these farms are set up and their method of operation, several videos can be found online and on related websites, through which virtual tours can be undertaken by enthusiasts as well as prospective farmers who wish for similar setups. The tour videos offer an all-
