Nothing drives home the horrible way factory farm poultry is treated in such a tangible way to me as the difference between the eggs you get at a supermarket and the eggs you get from a house on a dirt road. The store eggs are all clean and white while the farm eggs probably have a little bit of poo here and a feather or woodchip stuck there. But the shear shell density.... It takes two or three solid raps to open a farm egg whereas you can pretty much barehanded squeeze open a Kroger egg.
I sell eggs from my own chickens at the shop I manage. I biked to work today with 4 dozen eggs in my backpack, cushioned by nothing but cardboard cartons that have seen too much use and a towel to keep the cartons from shifting around. 6.8 miles (~11km), the first 2 miles on unpaved road and broken shoulder after that. The rest of the trip on pavement but still clipping a pothole here and there when I couldn't dodge without swerving in front of a car. Not a single egg cracked. Had I tried that with eggs from my local Meijer? The backpack and it's contents would be an unsalvageable goopy mess.
What makes the difference? Nutrition is a big factor, as is just general welfare and letting the birds rest. Like my ladies get probably 25% more protein than a factory bird, between the feed I give them and the bugs and mice and whatnot they find. They also get to follow a natural day-night cycle and seasonal cycle. So when days are shorter and nights are longer, they go from laying 5-6 eggs a week to 1-2, letting their body rest and recuperate over the winter. Factory operations will use artificial lighting to keep them on a summer laying rate year-round.
However, a more significant factor might be that I raise heritage breeds. Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, Plymouth Rock, etc. these are chickens bred to be hardy, docile, and make a decent amount of eggs and meat while still being healthy.
A factory operation will use specialized breeds like Lohman Brown that are bred for maximizing egg size and quantity and minimizing feed, which results in a thin shell and a bird that is worn out after 2 years.
Anyway, this is your sign to check out the eggs at your local farmers market or a farm stand on a dirt road outside town. Or maybe even take up raising your own birds























