Did you know that fresh eggs are among one of the healthiest food you can eat? Eggs are packed full of vitamins and proteins that are beneficial for our bodies. But are eggs you buy from a backyard farm better than the ones you buy from the store? In most cases, I am going to say yes.
We have been raising chickens and ducks for about 3 years. We gave into our daughter’s desire to have cute little ducklings and chicks. I mean, they are adorable. Putting little ducklings in your sink and watching the swim is darling. We decided early that we wanted a 4 bird limit at our house. Today, we have 2 Rhode Island Red chickens and 2 Indian Runner ducks. They are now all currently laying eggs, so we get 4 a day. While we don’t create a whole lot of extra eggs to sell, we have a few very regular customers.
Our birds are all free-range. They roam our property eating insects, worms, greens, and dig through our compost making a huge mess. We also feed them a store-bought feed, which helps strengthen their eggs shells and gives them other vitamins and minerals they need.
The real benefits of free-range eggs are in their nutritional value. Studies show several advantages to farm-fresh eggs, including:
- less cholesterol
- less saturated fat
- increased vitamins A, E and D
- more omega-3 fatty acids
- more beta carotene
The vitamins in eggs are all beneficial to the human diet. Many people have a vitamin-D deficiency and can suffer the health issues associated with this deficiency. Pasture-raised eggs are regarded as one of the best food sources for vitamin D.
While farm-fresh and store-bought eggs have cholesterol, backyard eggs contain less. Most of the cholesterol in eggs is considered “good” cholesterol that doesn’t cause the health problems that “bad” cholesterol does. Cholesterol is an important part of humans’ diet. It helps us maintain calcium and phosphorous levels in our bloodstreams.
I was amazed the very first time I cracked open one of our chicken eggs. The yoke was so orange…not the pale yellow color that you see in store bought eggs. The shells are also so much thicker, which I associate to having healthier birds than factory farm chickens. I was so amazed by how much better they tasted. They have a much richer and flavorful taste.
When it came time to try a duck egg, I was very apprehensive. I almost felt a little grossed out since I had never had one. I expected it to have a much different taste than chicken eggs, which are the only eggs I had ever eaten. I noticed right away that duck eggs have a much thicker shell than chicken eggs. It really takes some effort to crack one of those! After cooking the duck eggs, I was very surprised by how good it tasted. They are even richer than chicken eggs. My daughter and husband actually prefer the taste of duck eggs now over chicken. I also found that baking with duck eggs produces moister cakes and desserts than chicken eggs.
I have a few people who buy my duck eggs because they have allergies to chicken eggs. The duck eggs don’t have any adverse effect on them, but of course this is something you would want to discuss with a doctor before attempting. I think it’s great they get to enjoy eggs again, which is why they are regular customers.
Next time you need to buy eggs, look around to see if you have a backyard farmer raising chickens or ducks. Supporting local businesses is always appreciated…especially when there are egg shortages! Many backyard farms will even deliver to your doorstep!
Farmhouse Blessings,
Steph
My 1850 Farmhouse 