One of the ladies with whom I work has a hobby farm with a flock of 50-75 chickens, mostly Rhode Island Reds. I buy eggs from her @ $2 a dozen. They range from white to green to brown and are usually in the large range size-wise. I save the cartons back for her to reuse when I finish off one.
The eggs have a dark yellow yolk and a rich flavor, like the ones on my grandparents’ farm did years ago. Her hens forage for stuff that chickens naturally would eat, are fed when foraging doesn’t provide enough and sleep in a hen house guarded by her Aussie cattle dog at night (I’ve been out the farm, her chickens are treated very well).
Most of my eggs are used for baking, so I always go for Large unless a specific recipe calls for extra Large ( I have one such recipe). I don’t think I have ever bought mediums or really any other size. And white eggs, because that is the most available and cheapest. I can’t afford organic or free-range or pastuerized or anything…if I had to pay $5.50 a dozen for eggs you would never get another tray of deviled eggs out of me for a potluck! Even the Eggland’s Best, with a coupon, are totally out of my budget!
I used to always get free range eggs from a certain company. They have cameras you can pan and zoom online, to watch the chickens when they are outside (Free Range Cam - but it’s raining right now so they’re probably all indoors). They come in several sizes and are available at all supermarkets I’ve ever been to.
I still get them, but not as often as I also buy from a neighbour down the road now that I live in a more rural area. They don’t get much more free range than my neighbours chooks (have had to swerve to avoid hitting one on the road)! My neighbours eggs taste wonderful - there’s a huge difference. I think it’s mainly down to the freshness more than anything, though I wouldn’t be surprised if a more natural / varied diet and more exercise also play a role.
I plan to have a chook house built by February, and then I’ll have my own chooks and my own fresh eggs.
I’ve never thought twice about the colour. They usually seems to be some attractive shade of brown, with the occasional off-white or near-white one.
For those interested in keeping a few hens without a full scale coop, consider a chicken tractor.
It is a small, mobile structure lacking a floor. It can be purchased ready to use, or a DIY project. I’ve even seen a solar panel equipped unit that uses a screw auger to feed via a timer. You move the tractor each day or three, fertilizing the grass and free-ranging the hens.