So What Do Those Egg Labels Mean?

October 23, 2020

Egg Types are Confusing…The Egg Experts are Here to Help

Cage free! All Natural! Free Range! Pasture Raised! The egg aisle at the supermarket practically screams at you as you stand there, wondering what all the labels actually mean, with the sneaking suspicion you may not be buying what you thought. Thing is, you’re probably right. It takes a little digging to understand them all, and especially to find a company that truly cares about the welfare of their chickens and the planet.

Blue Sky Family Farms is one of those brands. Our goal is to create a symbiotic relationship between chickens and the environment, and that means getting them outside on green pastures under blue skies and letting them do what comes most naturally. It’s a pretty simple theory; chickens that behave naturally are healthy, and healthy chickens lay delicious eggs. 

Unlike other egg brands, Blue Sky Family Farms actually have farmers all over the Midwest who own their barns and chickens. From when the chicks hatch to their retirement, Blue Sky Family Farms is involved in every step of the hens’ life cycle. This allows us to provide specifications that we find essential in maintaining the health and wellness of our ladies. Our chickens really have lives, and that’s the point.

So what’s behind the labels? 

All Natural – Basically means nothing. It doesn’t tell you how the chickens were raised, what they were fed, or if antibiotics or hormones were used.

Cage Free – This means that although chickens aren’t in cages, they’re crammed together in indoor holding pens and most likely never see the light of day. Cage Free only provides about 1 square foot per hen, and they live in these conditions for life!

Free Range – Now we’re getting somewhere. These chickens get some access to the outdoors, but different brands have different standards for outside space. The minimum space is 2 sq ft per bird. However, we have higher standards for our chickens and offer 22 sq ft or over 10 acres per flock.

Pasture-Raised – These chickens truly live large. Pasture-raised chickens have access to green pastures all day long and have a minimum of 108 square feet per hen or over 50 acres per flock.

At Blue Sky Family Farms we raise only Free Range and Pasture-Raised chickens because we care about their quality of life. Frankly, it’s all about the ladies. The space we provide means hens can perch, socialize, dust bathe, scratch, and forage to their heart’s content for a long, happy life.

Hopefully, the next time you find yourself staring at all those labels in the egg aisle, you’ll know exactly what to do! Free Range and Pasture-Raised hens show the Best Eggs Come in Blue.