Dang. After reading this article, I think I'll just give up eggs.

There are a lot of other worse articles that will make you swear off all meat. Eggs are just the tip of the iceberg.

Just buy PASTEURIZED EGGS, very simple!

Eggs are considered meat to a vegan because taking them constitutes interrupting a life cycle.

This article is written from a strong bias against modern food production so just recognize this. Hens kept in cages are kept in enviromentally controlled buildings and provided fresh water and the optimum nutrition. Keep in mind that stressed or unhealthy animals are not as productive as comfortable, low stress animals so farmers have every incentive to care for them. In modern egg production, eggs can be washed, sorted, packed, cooled and shipped in as little as one hour without ever being touched directly by a human.

Hens that are "free range" are exposed to the elements including predators and 'yes' as the article says, they eat dirt, bugs and crap. Which system do you want for your eggs?

Rational. Thank you for your post, I was starting to think that there were no sane people left in the world!!!!!

I once toured a chicken farm and this article does not even come close to describing the misery these animals endure. It’s pretty sad to justify this treatment to save a buck on a dozen eggs.

saying that there are things out there that will make you "swear off meat" makes you an idiot. If you swear off meat and become a vegan because of how animals are raised, how does that change the way animals are treated... you are actually making conditions worse for those animals. if less people buy meat, then the conditions get worse because profits go down..... If you use your head then you will buy MORE meat and buy from a butcher and farm raised, therefor creating competition that will force the industry to fight for THOSE customers. I swear this country has become a bunch of uninformed 2nd graders

Reagan - Your reasoning is wildly convoluted. Our choice is not between what works and what doesn't. It's between what's right and what's wrong.

Moral wrongs aren't to be bargained with. They're to be avoided and abstained from altogether. I don't want less blood on my hands than the next guy. I want them completely clean.

@fgh-1038628

Eggs from most farms, unless it's a small family farm, are from hens that have never even seen a rooster, much less been mounted by one. Vegans must clearly be completely ignorant of the animals they so "love" if they do not know that hens will lay even without the presence of a rooster. You are not disrupting any kind of life by eating an unfertilized egg.

@dannyoh

Also, you can never be completely "free" of animal blood, unless you're growing and raising all of your own vegetables. If farm workers who pick your vegetables eat meat to give them the enormous amounts of energy they need to provide you your food, then animals STILL died, however indirectly, to provide you your food.

Just drop the moral superiority. You're not freaking Jesus just because you won't eat meat, much less -GASP, THE HORROR- honey.

xiaomei - I realize that my veggies won't be completely free of animal blood (or poop for that matter) but that's not the point. It's about having the obligation to do what we believe is right if we're presented with the ability and opportunity. We each have our personal choice to make.

I'm just saying that if you think meat is wrong stop eating it - regardless if it doesn't change the industry. If it doesn't bother your conscience, good for you.

I'm not being morally superior, I'm just saying that if you feel something is wrong, don't do it (or at least try not to).

Not so Rational,

You have obviously never been to a large egg production facility or for that matter anywhere near one. They are filthy, nasty places. The stink from the waste these facilities produce is insane. They are not only exploding the levels of Salmonella in eggs but are impacting their local environments in the most horrific ways. Go look into the rates of Salmonella in the water sheds around these facilities, they are sky high!

The rates of Salmonella is far lower in smaller operations. However the risk still exist. The only way to be moderately sure our eggs are safe is to consume PASTEURIZED EGGS.

UHHHH???? How can I tell you that I have been in 20 - 30 layers houses with 40,000 to 400,000 hens per house with the last one being four months ago - a marvelous operation.

How many have you been in and how recently?

Why is it okay to kill a plant, but not an animal? I love how people thing there is some greater moral value to higher order creatures. Plants, animals, and humans have no intrinsic moral value, yet people think that it is okay to abuse certain creatures, kill certain creature but not others. The purpose of eating is to keep you alive. Being an omnivore and the fact you body cannot build all of its nutrients, eating a wide variety of food is the healthiest option for you.

On a similar note to the article: do you know how many hundreds of thousands of animals are killed every year just by harvesting wheat? They get chopped up by the same blades that harvest the wheat. Theres no morally superior form of diet. Animals and plants both die no matter if you are a vegetarian or omnivore.

Don't get me wrong, I do not think we should abuse the animals we eat, but chickens are near the bottom of the totem-pole as far as the abuse many animals and plants go through.

The article is valuable information for our health and for the cruelty of these chickens for those who truly pay attention. Any animal or person for that matter that is stressed continually produces stress hormones in their bodies that are destructive. Eating animals or products of animals that are stressed from cruelty allows these hormones to be ingested. Mass production of our food may be highly profitable but not always a healthy way to go. Profit does not always justify the means.

Endo - You don't think it's morally wrong to kill things that are lower on the "totem pole" to eat them (even if they display that they have a desire to live)?

If some species superior to humans showed up, you wouldn't have an objection to them eating humans? For that matter, according to that line of reasoning, would it be objectionable to you for stronger humans to eat weaker humans?

Also, the killing animals/killing plants argument is weak; this can't honestly escape your notice. The difference/complete lack of consciousness, self-awareness, and desire to live are obvious.

Just because humans are omnivores, doesn't mean we should eat meat: it just means we can. Technically bears are omnivores. However, cows can also be omnivores. All it means is that we've been blessed with a flexible diet.

remove all eggs from the market and create a 6 month moratorium on egg production.

this "egg problem" has the potential to affect or otherwise sicken with deadly potential more people than the gulf oil spill.

this company has never been inspected. I thought all "food related companies" had to be periodically inspected. also this company is a repeat offender.

we can't let the food sector make their own rules and operate "wily nilly" without the safety of all Americans considered.

don't they have any rules?

don't these high paid executives at these companies have a responsibility to the American people.

who do they think they are. why do they think that they can operate outside the law. who is monitoring these people. don't these employees working in these egg facilities have rules as regulations to follow.

these are probably the same people who are paying politicians to let these mexicans thru the border so that they can get cheap labor.

*To better quantify the impact of foodborne diseases on health in the United States, we compiled and analyzed information from multiple surveillance systems and other sources. We estimate that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths. Three pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths each year, more than 75% of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and 3,200 deaths. Overall, foodborne diseases appear to cause more illnesses but fewer deaths than previously estimated.

*the egg problem has the potential to affect or otherwise sicken more people than the gulf spill.

take them off of the market before anyone else gets sick.

create a 6 month moratorium and launch a complete investigation to find out the cause and verify a remedy.

*how much money are these politicians getting paid by the egg producers to look the other way.

*illegal invader workforce

*not able to produce a clean useable product

*ignoring rules and regulations

does the FDA even monitor these egg production facilities.

**do they have rules and regulations or are they just operating "willy nilly" and doing pretty much whatever they want.

if forcing these egg producers to put a product on the shelf that is free of illness causing bacteria is going to cost an extra .50 cents a dozen then i'm all for it.

dannyoh...I'm guessing you're with PETA and think that people with diabetes should die because insulin is a by-product of animals.. #@$% hippie.

Danny,

It is not morally wrong to kill to sustain yourself. If some bigger stronger creature came along and decided that humans were necessary for their diet, oh well. Maybe you should waive the bible at creatures that already do eat humans to let them know God will be mad at them for what they did.

Maybe we should eliminate all the carnivourous creatures on our planet because they are committing some moral travesty.

The simple fact of the matter is, it is no more immoral to eat a cow than an ear of corn. Sure the cow has a more of a personality, but they have so many nutrients not present in that ear of corn.

I agree. I would prefer to purchase organic eggs but here in Las Vegas, NV they are at least $5 a dozen. Where do you get organic eggs for $2.50/dozen?

What 'free-range,' 'cage-free,' 'organic' and 'natural'

The chickens here in my yard are eating fleas and ticks, spiders and weed seeds. Keeping the manure spread around and besides the eggs they hatch, they provide enough meat that I fill the freezer with enough for 2 chicken dinners a month for a year.

Vegans, your veggies from the store are fed fertalizer, and if it is organic comes from mostly animal manure, so you are still adding to what you think is a problem.

I love my chickens!

Have any of you ever been outside the city? Have any of you ever spent a summer on a farm or been raised on one? Farmers raise pigs, cows and chickens for food. These are not pets they are food on the hoof. Cows are also raised for milk and chickens for eggs.

"Chickens no matter where they come from are filthy animals . . ." not exactly true.

Why are you 'burying your head in the sand' about the filth of factory farming?

fgh, you are wrong, I grew up on a farm and yes, chickens especially free range chickens are the nastiest animals on this planet!!!

I will agree that birds are dirty. Influenza viruses generally do originate with birds (and before anyone mentions it...yes, even swine flu). That's just one reason why I won't eat birds.

Robert - (1) Vegans don't eat things that consciously want to keep living. If something sees immanent death and is afraid for it's life, a vegan won't eat it. This obviously excludes plants. (2) "animals & plants were put here"? If this is a theolocial/Biblical reference, you should note that God did not allow humans to eat meat until AFTER the flood - Genesis 9:3 The only animals killed prior to the flood were for sacrifice. Animals were not originally put here for our enjoyment diet-wise.

Take a pill and calm down. Were talking about eggs after all.

You take a pill. Have you ever seen the movie food inc. mabey you should if all your conserned about is your egg Mcmuffin.

heres an idea, all those opposed to eating STOP, it wont be long before we dont have to listen to your bleeding heart BS at all! For crying out loud, even JESUS fed the people FISH!!!

This article is written from a strong bias against modern food production so just recognize this.

Rational Poster's comments are written from a strong bias for modern food production so just recognize this.

YES - I hate to see hungry people and we have the opportunity AND MORAL OBLIGATION to produce enough to feed people if we can.

Just because it is modern and the best we have now, assuming that is true for the sake of argument, does not mean that it shouldn't be better and more humane to the animals. The study shows that chickens treated differently, than they currently are in most operations, produce a more nutritional egg. I don't see any bias in that, just simple fact proven by a study done by a major university.

The current system produces large quantities of food and that is great. But should we accept the way it is and never try to improve the system? I don't think so, the results of the study help show the way to improving production processes to produce a higher quality egg. I don't understand why everyone is so upset about this.

Sally. Let's talk. I am educated about my food and food production.

This article does NOTHING to educate. It is highly biased against modern food production which is part and parcel of the safest and best food production system in the world.

Rational Poster u r an idiot, and all animals we humans think we need to eat r treated badly just so you can sit around and get fat and think u r all that, look at the beef industry, they slash the throats of cow while they r still alive, do the reasearch and shut up. thanks

When are they supposed to slit their throats? When their dead? Maybe someone could read them a bedtime story before the knife comes for them. Ridculous.

J.B. - If you want to discuss the issues - fine, but leave out the name calling. You may disagree with me but I am no idiot. As far as education about food production, this has been my life. I think I know the details and have a basis for my opinion.

Amen JB, AMEN!!

Sorry rational poster, I ment AMEN to you!!! JB is not of this earth!! I swear I really dont know where these people come from! Like i said before, they need to just STOP eating!!

J B otta eat rice and veggy's and starve..lol

J B

If my steak does not Moo when i cut it, It is overcooked.

The study seems pretty useful. Now we know that certain types of eggs are more nutritious for humans. I'm thinking the study was initiated by someone who wanted to find out if a chicken's living conditions would result in a nutritional difference in the eggs they produce.

Exactly what would someone look for in your mind when they buy their meat, milk and eggs?

Rational poster...LOL.... This is really no debate... check the facts...By the way, I grew up on a farm. See below:
"There are more than 325 million egg laying hens in the U.S. confined in battery cages — small wire cages stacked in tiers and lined up in rows inside huge warehouses. In accordance with the USDA's recommendation to give each hen four inches of 'feeder space,' hens are commonly packed four to a cage measuring just 16 inches wide. In this tiny space, the birds cannot stretch their wings or legs, and they cannot fulfill normal behavioral patterns or social needs. Constantly rubbing against the wire cages, they suffer from severe feather loss, and their bodies are covered with bruises and abrasions.
In order to reduce injuries resulting from excessive pecking — an aberrant behavior that occurs when the confined hens are bored and frustrated — practically all laying hens have part of their beaks cut off. Debeaking is a painful procedure that involves cutting through bone, cartilage, and soft tissue.

Laying more than 250 eggs per year each, laying hens' bodies are severely taxed. They suffer from "fatty liver syndrome" when their liver cells, which work overtime to produce the fat and protein for egg yolks, accumulate extra fat. They also suffer from what the industry calls 'cage layer fatigue,' and many become 'egg bound' and die when their bodies are too weak to pass another egg.

Osteoporosis is another common ailment afflicting egg laying hens, whose bodies lose more calcium to form egg shells than they can assimilate from their diets. One industry journal, Feedstuffs, explains, "...the laying hen at peak eggshell cannot absorb enough calcium from her diet..." while another (Lancaster Farming) states, "... a hen will use a quantity of calcium for yearly egg production that is greater than her entire skeleton by 30-fold or more." Inadequate calcium contributes to broken bones, paralysis, and death.

After one year in egg production, the birds are classified as 'spent hens' and are sent off to slaughter. Their brittle, calcium-depleted bones often shatter during handling or at the slaughterhouse. They usually end up in soups, pot pies, or similar low-grade chicken meat products in which their bodies can be shredded to hide the bruises from consumers.

With a growing supply of broiler chickens keeping slaughterhouses busy, egg producers have had to find new ways to dispose of spent hens. One entrepreneur has developed the 'Jet-Pro' system to turn spent hens into animal feed. As described in Feedstuffs, "Company trucks would enter layer operations, pick up the birds, and grind them up, on site, in a portable grinder... it (the ground up hens) would go to Jet-Pro's new extruder-texturizer, the 'Pellet Pro.'"

In one notorious case of extraordinary cruelty at Ward Egg Ranch in February 2003 in San Diego County, California, more than 15,000 spent laying hens were tossed alive into a wood-chipping machine to dispose of them. Despite tremendous outcry from a horrified public, the district attorney declined to prosecute the owners of the egg farm, calling the use of a wood-chipper to kill hens a "common industry practice."

In some cases, especially if the cost of replacement hens is high, laying hens may be 'force molted' to extend their laying capacity. This process involves starving the hens for up to 18 days, keeping them in the dark, and denying them water to shock their bodies into another egg-laying cycle. Commonly, between 5 and 10% of birds die during the molt, and those who live may lose more than 25% of their body weight.

For every egg-laying hen confined in a battery cage, there is a male chick who was killed at the hatchery. Because egg-laying chicken breeds have been genetically selected exclusively for maximum egg production, they don't grow fast or large enough to be raised profitably for meat. Therefore, male chicks of egg-laying breeds are of no economic value, and they are literally discarded on the day they hatch — usually by the cheapest, most convenient means available. Thrown into trash cans by the thousands, male chicks suffocate or are crushed under the weight of others.

Another common method of disposing of unwanted male chicks is grinding them up alive. This can result in unspeakable horrors, as described by one research scientist who observed that "even after twenty seconds, there were only partly damaged animals with whole skulls". In other words, fully conscious chicks were partially ground up and left to slowly and agonizingly die. Eyewitness accounts at commercial hatcheries indicate similar horrors of chicks being slowly dismembered by machinery blades en route to trash bins or manure spreaders."

Rational and compassionate, Im afraid you lost us, I think you need more chicken products! Have a little FRIED CHICKEN A FEW EGGS AND LAY DOWN FOR A NAP!!! THEN IF YOU STILL WANT TOFU AND WATER, GO FOR IT!!!

"Exactly what would someone look for in your mind when they buy their meat, milk and eggs?"

A refrigerator with a top-mounted freezer comes to mind.

Information and awareness can help to change and improve conditions. Until then local farmers or raising your own may be the healthiest way to go! Many do not care what they eat-- healthy or not. It is certainly a choice. Cruelty to animals cannot be justified. I do not suggest giving up eating animal products. The product of cruelty is harmful for many reasons. There are many ways to define education.

Just buy regular eggs and follow normal sanitation. Cook the eggs and clean surfaces that come in contact with eggs, raw meat, fish thoroughly. Common sense!

Well, Rational, probably a little bit of yes and no to you. So called regular eggs just don't provide the nutrition that is provided by pastured, organically fed chickens. Pretty much an undeniable fact, at least for most of us and according to pretty much any study I've seen. But are such eggs available in quantity enough to meet the demands of society? Nope! Would I eat "regular" eggs if that's all I could find? You betchum, Red Rider! But you better believe I'm gonna look for a farmer who is producing eggs to the standards I want. "Everyone" might not be able to do it, but there's no reason I have to settle for less than the best just because everyone else does.

Target Accused Of Organic Food Fraud

Organic Food Fraud-Buyers Misled at Wal-Mart by Mislabeling

This stuff happens all the time still to this day, Just because it says organic does not mean it is,Grow your own everything or just pay more for the same thing we buy cheap.

Sally - You are misleading folks. You can not document that organic = most nutritious. That might be your opinion - so clearly say it is your opinion. Don't state it as fact. You can not document that.

Sally do u even know what organic means?? If the farmer next to the "Organic" farm is using all the wrong things and getting it into the air and water supply, how "Organic" are they now. Dothe homework u all before you give advice, our children are maturing faster now then 50 yrs ago, OMG that could be because of all the junk u all think is not out there or because someone said the word "Organic", please find out for yourselves and be smarter.

Rational, you are the one trying to mislead folks. The Penn State study does, indeed, document that pastured hens lay more nutritious eggs. You're kinda like the tobacco industry folks who keep denying that smoking is harmful.

In no way am I trying to mislead anyone. Each of us can site research studies to support our point if view, but from a high level - eggs from chickens are eggs from chickens with not much nutrient differentiation as to system of production. It is misleading to argue about nuances and your smoke analogy sounded like an activist - not an educator.

haha - i totally agree with you Anne, A ridiculous article. I was hoping for a good conclusion to the article towards the end. Towards the end I was like, "So....................whats your point?" What do we do about this.". what a waste of time reading it!

If you read the conclusions you might have seen what to do. Geez!

You should!

Just how many of these "neighbor farmers" would be needed to produce the eggs we need? Do the math!

up till last year, I lived on a very small farm, having 8 laying hens among my critters. I had a dozen and a half every two days (some hens don't lay every day). with just my wife and my boy and me, we supplied about three families with a dozen every week (and we ate more eggs ourselves). So I am going to do the math, and say that with three hens at my new tiny tiny house, I could share a dozen a week, and have enough for my house. I consider three the least amount (they like company), and they take care of the bugs around the house as a bonus. I think it is a reasonable addition to a back yard. So for it work in the city, about half of egg eaters would need at least 3 hens, and they would share (or sell) the rest. Hope this helps.

This statement is completely false --- a laying hen can lay an egg every 26 hours (one a day). If you have 8 hens the MOST you can hope for is 16 eggs, yet you say you were getting a dozen and half (18) every other day. The math doesn't work.

This late of rate is at optimum rate, as the chickens get older you would be looking to get one egg every other day . .. . . . so unfortunately your thought process is completely wrong.

I will use your math but you and I both know that 8 hens did not lay 18 eggs in two days. BS. Three hens AT BEST will lay 16 eggs in a week for a short period of time.

That aside, you are suggesting that 50% of households will need to raise at least three hens. Sounds reasonable to me. DUH? Less than 2% of the U.S. is involved in farming today.

you are wrong I had hens for years that would lay one sometimes two eggs per day. They were healthy, on grass and would nest in trees at night. So yes 8 hens could easily lay 18 eggs in two days (8 x 2 -16 plus one or two that lay two eggs).

Now, Jan. You know they can not and do not lay the numbers that you state over a very long period of time. For a short time - at peak - yes - but not for an average.

Boy have you been brain washed by the companies and the government. Raising animals on a farm where they are treated in a natural sitting is always better. If the animal is content then they are healthier and so is the product. That is just logical. You need to do more investigating and not just taking what the government and big companies are saying as their wanting things to be better for everyday people, they are only interested in Money, Profits and Power.

Also, do you know that most supermarket eggs have been roaming around several weeks, before they get to your table

Where did you come up with this silliness?

Wally... educate yourself. It's a FACT that supermarket eggs are NOT fresh and between travel time and storage time in the distribution center they are WEEKS old before they make it on the store shelves.

That statement is True!!!! Most eggs do take over a week or 2 to get to your table.... Ever had eggs that were hard to peal after boiling them? If so, those eggs were less than a week old.... how many people want boiled eggs that tear stick to the shell when peeling them? none so they do wait few days before sending them out.....how many days do you think it takes an egg to get from the farm on the day its laid, then to the washer, grader, cartons, plant cooler,,, then shipped to the store warehouse, out to the grocery store cooler,,, a day or 2 to the shelf, then to your house for how many days before you eat them......sounds like over 2 weeks to me.....

Farmhand - Do you really know? I was on the largest egg operation in Arizona and eggs move from hen, to washing, to sorting, to packing, to cooling and onto the truck for the store in as little as one hour.

That is nonsense. Sounds like you have an investment in large egg operations.

i know what i know...... i am a small contract farmer that produces egg for a company,,,,800,000 eggs weekly...... they come pick up our eggs, take them to their plant to be packed into cartons,,,,, we have had eggs in our cooler for 3-4 days before they come get them..... but they do own a large complex of houses in-line that it does go from hen house to carton in matter of hours.

Julie - See Farmhand's post. Who is spouting nonsense? Why do you speak of what you do not know? I am curious. I know of what I speak and I do not and have never had any investment in egg production.

Anyone - You make a good point. An analogy would be as follows:

Are the 8 million people in NYC better with each having a septic system or is it better to handle the waste in the public sewer system? Same with many small farms versus fewer larger.

The world population is just under 7 billion and is projected to reach between 8 and 10.5 billion between 2040 and 2050.

World Population Prospects:The 2008 Revision". Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. June 2009. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/popnews/Newsltr_87.pdf.

Sorry, but you are the person without a clue. The modern food production system used in the USA is horribly inefficient, typically consuming 10 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 (one) calorie of food. That one calorie is also deficient in nutrients and generally of poor flavor.

For comparison, a single 10-mile round trip by car to the grocery store or the farmers’ market will easily eat up about 14,000 calories of fossil fuel energy. Just running your refrigerator for a week consumes 9,000 calories of energy. Households in America use 22% of our energy consumption while all U.S. agriculture uses just 2%. Get perspective.

Rational, that doesn't make the eggs better for the individual. It just means more people can be fed a minimum product.

Know what you talk of before you talk. Jumping to conclusions is not a healthy way of exercising.

You may not be aware of it, but your ancestors going way back ate meat. With more calories and energy than they could get from meager plant sources that had time to grow their minds...humans brain size increased to the point that you can now make silly comments on an Internet board.

Dina, r u five yrs old, where the he-- u been living these days, go the he-- outside or do some homework, dang get a life, look around, my eight yr old knows this info and some u don't want to know about curelty of animals. so please look around.

Ok you need to get the whole story. Have you ever even talked to a farmer or left the city.... My family has raised it all in my lifetime and we are teaching our children to be self sufficient as well. The chickens are debeaked so they wont hurt each other because no matter how much room they have, they will fight. Its part of mating. Also, some hens will eat the eggs but cant without the beak tip. We didnt debeak ours but if someone got ruffed up we ate the chicken to put it out of its misery because if we didnt the other chickens, smelling the blood of and injured one would peck it to death. Chickens like most animals are cannibalistic. Tail docking and ear notching of pigs is for the same reason. Dont just arbitraily say something is cruel befor you get the reasons behind the action. Sometimes things are done because its best for the animal.

Dina - Talk to people that know. Go and visit some modern farms. Get educated. This piece is heavily biased and does not present a an acurate picture.

Rational are you a CEO of a large food production company? I live in Ohio where unfortunately I had to throw away the clothes I wore when I accidently went into the hen barn at an egg farm. Yes, the stench was so bad even after several washings I had to throw everything away, even the shoes. And de-beaking? Honestly why don't we yank the teeth out of our dogs to "protect them" from other dogs as well. I invite anyone in the USA to visit a large Ohio egg farm... see for yourself how nasty it is.

Jan - I am a Buckeye and born and raised on a farm in Ohio. I was last at one of the largest egg production complexes in the country four months ago. No, I am no CEO - they don't have time for this nonsense. I am retired and I do this while I watch my favorite baseball team play.

I hate irrational dialogue. I share what I know.

After all, it is every humans right to never get sick right! You wacko activists make me laugh!

If the dummies cook their eggs they shouldn't get sick...problem solved. Many city dwellers don't have backyards and much of the time the zoning won't allow it.

I am really bummed that I can't eat chocolate chip cookie dough before the cookies are baked!

How many eggs do you get from your "2 - 3 " hens?

Sorry Tony, but your statement that: "The birds were put in cages to seperate them from their feces" is not 100% correct. However that may be part of the reason.

The birds are put in cages so that there can be a much larger number of birds confined to a smaller space which is climate and light controlled. By putting the birds in small, confined spaces there can be the greatest production. That is why it is called "industrial" agriculture. It is all about producing the greatest number of eggs and feeding birds "input" so there can be an output of product.

Unfortunately this method does not take into consideration the best life for the bird. It only takes into consideration the commodity that the bird produces.

Hens are seperated from their feces and are in well ventilated buildings away from predators. Ever been in a chicken house??? The birds are usually quiet and comfortable.

Einstein...get a frigging clue. Maybe you should sit your ass down and watch this so you can see the TRUTH about how chickens are raised. You're version is a fairytale. You truly are one uninformed individual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqLIyIr2-5s&feature=related

Contact one of the larger egg producers in your state and ask for a tour. See first hand what world-class production really is. How many chicken houses have you been in? I have been in 20 - 30 egg production facilities, several pork production operations and uncountable numbers of dairy and beef operations.

The youtube videos are posted by activists seeking donations for their various causes. They are not seeking to be fair.

John is accurate. I have been in 20 - 30 chicken houses. How about you?

Give us the address of your farm would love to visit and see it in person.

I have been in the chicken houses and removing dead chickens is a daily event. layer hens are not much better. I would rather get my eggs farm fresh but most times i just buy them off the store shelves. I have never had a problem with eggs,over easy or sunnyside up i drag my toast through them...yummy. Nothing is ideal but farmers do have a lot of people to feed in America and i am not rich, I need to get my eggs,beef,chicken and produce at the best price i can get it. Maybe we could un-cage the peanutbutter and the lettuce,Now that might would help. A better idea might be to have the inspectors do their jobs before the eggs hit the store shelves.

The more comments I read on here is amazing of how little people really know...... I also work on and own a small family farm,,,, egg production, beef and crops (25+ years) on land that my grandfather farmed over 70 years ago. There are lots of guidelines and regulations that we have to follow each day mandated by the government to ensure our product is safe for you... John.... hats off to you buddy, let’s keep feeding this country..... who knows....I am waiting on the day that when this country is so populated and all the farms are closing down, less food being produced and there is not enough food to feed everyone......... at least you and I along with all the other farmers out there, have the knowledge, equipment, and land to produce our own food and be happy while the others are starving to death.....GOD BLESS OUR FARMERS ...CAUSE WE FEED THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!