- factory or farm eggs?

I recently read a post from the Radical Chicken in which he was commenting on the CAFO “farm” featured in the spring edition if the Hoosier Farmer (the Indiana Farm Bureau’s magazine).  He was speaking about the twisted economics involved with operating a CAFO.

I thought of another aspect to the article:  I just thought it was disingenuous of the IFB to have the title From Farm to Table on the cover.  When most people read that they automatically assume it is a “farm,” when in fact it is much more like a factory.  I liken it to the egg cartons in the store that show a beautiful little image of a traditional barn with chicken roaming around outside; when in fact they are almost always raised in an enormous warehouse.  When looking for some images on the web, I stumbled upon an old blog post from the Cheeseslave who addressed the same issue.

If you have any desire to eat healthier, or if you simply like to feel a little less guilty about the treatment of chickens, then you are most likely willing to spend an extra couple bucks and get the “cage free” eggs with the cute farm image on them.  If you think your cage free eggs are coming from free roaming chickens on a farm you are severely mistaken.  While there may be a few farms (like us) that are raising their chickens this way, the overwhelming majority of them are raised in a confined warehouse.  They are fed nothing but genetically modified corn/soy, they live on a concrete floor, and will never see direct sun-light.  They can be called “free range” or “cage free” because they are free to roam around the warehouse amongst the thousands of other chickens.  Just for the record, we occasionally shop at Trader Joe's - I just want you to know what you are actually getting.

At Liberty Pastures, we are raising our (meat and egg) birds in a manner that you would expect when you hear “free range or cage free.”  They do have access to an all natural chicken feed, but it is a supplement only; they spend the majority of their time roaming around our pasture.  Their primary diet consists of grass, insects, seeds, and even the occasional vole.  [Did you know chickens can hunt?]

If you live in Bloomington, please feel free to contact us for a brief farm tour or with any questions.  If you do not live near us, I highly recommend you find a local farmer who is raising his poultry the way God intended or even keep a few hens of your own.  Either way, if you are truly concerned about your health or if you really want to support the ethical treatment of animals then you need to buy eggs/meat from a farmer who is a real farmer, not a factory manager.

All natural, pasture raised eggs are available at Liberty Pastures on Wednesdays 3-7 and Saturdays 8-12.  You may want to call (812 606-8783) in advance as our supply is limited.