When my chickens are molting or start going broody, I find myself at the grocery store standing in front of a huge variety of eggs and not knowing what to do.

There are many things printed on an egg carton but what do they all mean?

Vegetarian Fed: Poorly fed a non-typical chicken diet. Not allowed to

Cage Free: Only means that they are not confined to cages but are not allowed outside or given ample space

This may not seem important to you since the eggs taste the same if the chicken is treated poorly but studies have shown that chickens in bad living conditions with high stress from lack of outdoor exposure and confined living spaces can have negative effects. a team of researchers from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom found an increase the risk of Campylobacter infection with chickens having a high level of stress hormone. More about that HERE

Local fresh Eggs have the best flavor

Organic Free Range Eggs are the best for you

So where do you find organic free range eggs locally?

In Washington State, you can get these eggs from these farms:

Of course there are also egg producers in Washington that do not provide adequate chicken living conditions or feed for the Chickens. They are defined by Cornucopia as generally produced on industrial-scale egg operations that grant no meaningful outdoor access. “Outdoor access” on these operations generally means a covered concrete porch that is barely accessible to the chickens. Means of egress from the buildings are intentionally small to discourage birds from going outside, and make it possible for only a small percentage of birds to have “access” to the outdoors. No producers in this category were willing to participate in The Cornucopia Institute’s project, and none shared their production practices with Cornucopia researchers. This is disturbing to many organic consumers, since transparency has always been viewed as a hallmark of the organic food movement.:

 

Willamette Eggs

Country Creek

365 Organic 

Kirkland Signature 

Trader Joe's 

Crack a Smile

Eggland's Best 

Land O'Lakes 

Naturally Organic

To see the full list, visit Cornucopia's website Here

Here are some studies showing benefits of eating whole eggs (yolk and whites)

Whole Egg Vs Egg Whites
Eggs distinctly modulate plasma carotenoid and lipoprotein
Egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
Whole Cooked Egg, hard-boiled Nutrition
Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma lipoproteins in healthy populations

Whole egg consumption improves lipoprotein profiles and insulin sensitivity to a greater extent than yolk-free egg substitute in individuals with metabolic syndrome.
Blesso CN, Andersen CJ, Barona J, Volek JS, Fernandez ML.
Author information
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
We investigated if daily egg feeding, along with carbohydrate restriction, would alter lipoprotein metabolism and influence atherogenic lipoprotein profiles and insulin resistance in men and women with metabolic syndrome (MetS).
METHODS:
In a randomized, single-blind, parallel design, participants consumed either 3 whole eggs/day (EGG, n=20) or the equivalent amount of yolk-free egg substitute (SUB, n=17), as part of a moderately carbohydrate-restricted diet (25%-30% energy) for 12 weeks. Plasma lipids, apolipoproteins (apos), oxidized LDL (oxLDL), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activities were assessed at baseline and week 12. Lipoprotein particle concentrations and sizes were measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
RESULTS:
Atherogenic dyslipidemia improved for all individuals as evidenced by reductions in plasma triglycerides, apoC-III, apoE, oxLDL, VLDL particle diameter, large VDL, total IDL, small LDL, and medium LDL particles (P<0.05). Furthermore, there were increases in HDL-cholesterol, large LDL and large HDL particles (P<0.05) for all individuals. However, there were greater increases in HDL-cholesterol and large HDL particles, and reductions in total VLDL and medium VLDL particles for those consuming EGG compared to SUB (P<0.05). Plasma insulin and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were reduced, while LCAT activity, and both HDL and LDL diameters increased over time in the EGG group only (P<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:
Incorporating daily whole egg intake into a moderately carbohydrate-restricted diet provides further improvements in the atherogenic lipoprotein profile and in insulin resistance in individuals with MetS.