Happy Chickens Lay Happy Eggs

At Fern Farm our new chicks are growing up nicely! These 60 chicks recently joined our 20 full-grown hens, and they?ll be laying by September. Next year we plan to bring them some new friends–we have a new barn that can house a flock of up to 120.

Right now we supplement with eggs from the Little Red Farm in Molina, but with our 80 ladies coming up to speed, we should be able to supply all our eggs from Fern Farm by this spring.

At Fern Kitchen, we use farm-fresh, pasture-raised eggs. Pastured eggs are better for chickens and also better for humans.

Multiple studies* have found that, compared to eggs from caged hens, eggs from pastured hens are more nutritious, containing:

• Less cholesterol and saturated fat
• From 2 to 13 times more omega-3 fatty acids, depending on the study
• Higher levels of vitamins A, E, D, and beta-carotene

Unfortunately, 95% of eggs in the US are laid by chickens living in cages, who don?t have access to the greens, bugs, and dust baths our ladies do. Our hens live happy lives, and you can see and taste the difference in the golden yolks our hens lay.

* Animal Feed Science and Technology, 1998; British Journal of Nutrition, 1974; Gorski, Pennsylvania State University, 1999; Karsten, Pennsylvania State University, 2003
Mother Earth News, 2007; Simopoulos, The Omega Diet, 1988