# Possible to know if eggs are free range or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2014, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849 "2014-01-15T03:59:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/41 "2014-01-16T02:22:51Z")
I buy [Nellie’s](http://nelliescagefree.com/)in my local supermarket. They are not only cage-free, but certified humanelyraised. > [@](#): > > •Ample space and shelter, in clean, well ventilated barns. > •Gentle handling to limit stress. > •Freedom to do what comes naturally, like roosting, scratching, and dust bathing. > •Nutritious, high-quality feed free of antibiotics or hormones. > •Fresh, pure water whenever they want it. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/42 "2014-01-16T02:50:38Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > I buy [Nellie’s](http://nelliescagefree.com/)in my local supermarket. They are not only cage-free, but certified humanelyraised. From the Humane Society page, linked to above: > [@](#): > > Certified Humane: The birds are uncaged inside barns but may be kept indoors at all times. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density and number of perches and nesting boxes. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but beak cutting is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Certified Humane is a program of Humane Farm Animal Care. They might never step foot outside to see the light of day. Maybe some of their farmers provide outdoor access, but it’s not part of the requirement (some blogs say it’s required under the standard, but they’re wrong – see the standard itself, linked to below). The hens probably spend most of their time inside big factory-like buildings, without cages but far from pastoral, like [this picture from their own website](http://nelliescagefree.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ReiffFarm.jpg). [Each hen only needs to be allocated about 1 to 1.5 square ft of space](http://www.certifiedhumane.org/uploads/Std14.Layers.1A.pdf), about the size of two pieces of paper. Beak cutting is allowed, because in fact, and I quote from the Certified Humane standard itself, in “cage-free housing systems of laying hens, there is a risk of outbreaks of cannibalism. The pain and suffering of the hens that are being pecked to death is appalling and may quickly affect a considerable proportion of the flock.” This is because, presumably, chickens didn’t evolve to be packed so densely together in a big barn, cage or no cage, and so spend their days trying to end the torment by mindlessly pecking each other to death – unless they’re lucky and the butcher gets to them first once they’re past optimal laying age. If they’re extraordinarily lucky they won’t get painfully mangled by other chickens when they’re packed into the van to the slaughterhouse. If they’re luckier yet, they will have died within the first few minutes of their existence because they turned out male. Make no mistake, Certified Humane is a step above battery cages and such, but it’d still make Old MacDonald cry. Unless they paid him off too. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/43 "2014-01-16T03:34:29Z")
Here, in Peru, it’s usually because they have a greenish/bluish hue in the shell. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/44 "2014-01-16T05:29:27Z")
I am a firm believer in organic certification, but I have to admit that the difference between my own (never seen a cage, outdoors all day long making trouble) hens’ eggs and any egg I have bought at a store is pretty noticeable. Even the organic ones are old, pale, and rather tasteless in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/45 "2014-01-16T07:22:42Z")
A little off topic, but a question to those of you with your own hens - how long to you have to wait before the eggs are old enough to easily peel after boiling? I buy them from fairly local farms and it seems I have to plan ahead and buy them a couple weeks before I’m going to need them for deviled eggs or whatever, or I end up with very difficult to peel eggs. Like, I have to chip the shells off in tiny pieces and take a third of the white with them. Deviled eggs don’t happen unless I’ve planned well ahead for them! But - that couple weeks has been just to be sure. It’s not like I’ve bought eggs and tried x-number of days with each batch to find the magic number, though I think I had bad luck with one week but it was long enough ago I’m not sure, so stick to two weeks. Just curious if you guys know offhand. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/46 "2014-01-16T11:17:08Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > I’m wondering if lab tests can determine the difference between free range or cage bred. No. Because there is no difference in the eggs. Free range, organic, cage free, etc. are all designations that say something about how the hens were treated – nothing about the eggs. Thee are differences in egg taste. yoke color, shell thickness, etc., but those are almost entirely due to diet. You could take hens in the most confined factory-farm cages and add vegetable scraps, bugs, etc. to their diet and get eggs that look and taste just like the most free-ranging organic eggs. Factory farms don’t do that because of economics – too costly, and not enough demand. (Many consumer don’t like the taste of real, fresh, farm eggs – they see it as ‘too strong’, because they’re entirely used to mass-produced store-bought eggs.) ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/47 "2014-01-16T12:29:07Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > No. > Because there is no difference in the eggs. > > Free range, organic, cage free, etc. are all designations that say something about how the hens were treated – I think you’ve nailed it. It seems that my best bet is to ask around locally and find someone with a few chickens who will sell me spare eggs they can’t eat themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Erik\_the\_Viking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Erik\_the\_Viking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erik_the_Viking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/48 "2014-01-16T13:27:23Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > To quote an old and wise bumper sticker: “If we’re not supposed to eat animals, why are they all made of meat?” Funny, I’ve always wondered the same thing about humans. Delicious, delicious humans … ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/49 "2014-01-17T17:42:39Z")
> [@Erik\_the\_Viking](#): > > Funny, I’ve always wondered the same thing about humans. Delicious, delicious humans … Only the vegans, most of us eat so much meat it makes us a little gamey. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/50 "2014-01-17T18:37:20Z")
One I find funny is that some of the mass-market producers have started advertising that their hens are fed a 100% vegetarian diet. Yeah, you probably shouldn’t be proud that you’re feeding those poor things nothing but corn, and never giving them the possibility of going outside. ---
**Author:** ![Rama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ccd318/32.png) [@Rama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rama)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/51 "2014-01-17T18:50:46Z")
Depends on the location of the layman. In the EU we have [codes](http://www.theranger.co.uk/images/CMS/egg-code-explained.gif) for that. Assuming we can trust the codes ofcourse. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/52 "2014-01-17T21:46:10Z")
> [@Rama](#): > > Depends on the location of the layman. In the EU we have [codes](http://www.theranger.co.uk/images/CMS/egg-code-explained.gif) for that. Assuming we can trust the codes ofcourse. Like all that beef that you had recently that turned out to be horsemeat – that had the appropriate EU codes for grass-fed beef on it. Product codes, labels, wording like “free range”, etc. are all possibly inaccurate. With the WU beef/horsemeat, there were tests that could accurately identify the species. For animal products like eggs, milk, etc., there aren’t practical tests to verify those label assertions, so you are dependent on the reputation of the supplier (or the efficiency of government inspectors). ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/53 "2014-01-18T17:02:00Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > I think you’ve nailed it. It seems that my best bet is to ask around locally and find someone with a few chickens who will sell me spare eggs they can’t eat themselves. I don’t know where you’re located, but I frequently see adds on Craigslist for eggs. In those cases, you would probably be required to go to the location where the hens are kept and can see for yourself their living conditions. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/54 "2014-01-18T17:20:07Z")
set the egg on a flat surface. if it rolls then it’s free range. if it stays still the it was caged. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849/55 "2014-01-18T17:40:48Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > set the egg on a flat surface. > > if it rolls then it’s free range. if it stays still the it was caged. I’ll admit it, you had me for a moment there. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-to-know-if-eggs-are-free-range-or-not/678849.md?page=2)