HAPPY HEN FARM
HOME OF TRUE FREE RANGE EGGS
JUNGLE FOWL BREEDERS
Member - Connecticut Farm Bureau and Northeast Organic Farmers Association
Located in Glastonbury, Connecticut
Sale by Special Order Only - Phone - (860)836-1770
![Picture](/uploads/9/1/1/7/9117028/4408536.jpg)
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
Our true free range pasture raised chickens (as seen in this photo) eat a natural diet of seeds, plants and plenty of bugs. Weather permitting, our chickens are out of the pen each morning and return each night - automatically ("the chickens come home to roost"). Their grazing areas are the woods and fields where they provide all the needed fertilizer and bug control. That's why our chickens always lay great tasting fresh eggs, all without the "help" of any antibiotics, hormones, chemical additives or artificial growth or egg laying "stimulators". When not grazing, our chickens are fed certified organic layer feed. Even their water is pure and natural, coming from our on site well.
By contrast, commercially raised egg layers are crowded into small spaces and never see the light of day. They are fed a diet that consists of corn, soy or cottonseed with additives (including arsenic http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/opinion/kristof-arsenic-in-our-chicken.html?_r=1), nothing a chicken would ever eat in any natural setting.
HOW FRESH ARE OUR EGGS?
Real Fresh. They come straight from the chicken to you in three days or less - guaranteed. Store bought eggs, on the other hand, can be ten to twenty days old at the time you buy them. Want proof? Check the pack date on the side of any carton of commercially produced eggs. The pack date is the three digit code mandated by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to indicate the date the eggs were packed for sale which can be up to three days after they are laid. The pack date is based on the Julian calender with 1 being January 1st and 365 being December 31st. For example, a pack date code of 033 means the eggs were packed on February 2nd and may have been laid sometime in January. You're not likely to see those eggs in your supermarket before February 9th, check for yourself. http://www.goodegg.com/eggdating.html
Also try the "water test". After a while the egg whites begin to break down and form an air pocket inside the egg. That's why a fresh egg will always lie flat in a glass bowl but an older egg will start to tilt to vertical. http://www.helpwithcooking.com/egg-guide/fresh-egg-test.html Also this is why it is so difficult it is to peel a hard boiled fresh egg - the egg white still clings tightly to the shell.
ARE OUR EGGS BETTER FOR YOU?
A well publicized study found that, compared to USDA nutrient data for commercial, "conventional" (i.e., from confined hens) eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture land may contain: • 1/3 less cholesterol • 1/4 less saturated fat • 2/3 more vitamin A • 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids • 3 times more vitamin E and 7 times more beta carotene. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21675726/ns/today-food/t/pecking-order-which-eggs-are-best/
WHAT ABOUT COMMERCIAL ORGANIC - "FREE RANGE" EGG PRODUCERS?
The Cornucopia Institute has released a report that exposes widespread abuses in the production of organic eggs, primarily by large factory farms. The study compares management practices employed by small organic egg farmers with those of large industrial operations that label eggs "organic", but that have been produced by chickens confined by the hundreds of thousands in industrial facilities. According to Cornucopia News:
"After visiting over 15% of the certified egg farms in the United States, and surveying all name-brand and private-label industry marketers, it's obvious that a high percentage of the eggs on the market should be labeled 'produced with organic feed' rather than bearing the USDA-certified organic logo," said Mark A. Kastel, Cornucopia Institute's codirector and senior farm policy analyst.
Eighty percent of all organic eggs are produced by a handful of operations. Most of these businesses own hundreds of thousands to millions of birds and market a percentage of their produce as 'specialty eggs,' one of which is organic. Most of the giant henhouses used by these factory farms provide no legitimate access to the outdoors, which is a requirement of federal organic regulations.
"Many of these operators are gaming the system by providing minute enclosed porches, with roofs and concrete or wood flooring, and calling these structures 'the outdoors,'" stated Charlotte Vallaeys, a farm policy analyst with Cornucopia and lead author of the report.
"Many of the porches represent just 3 to 5 percent of the square footage of the main building housing the birds. That means 95 percent or more of the birds have absolutely no access whatsoever." http://www.drdavidalan.com/nutrition/1435
Also, the processing and cleaning of commercial eggs can pose its own risks. Most people don't realize that an eggshell is actually a porous membrane. This is why the cleaning of the eggs can degrade the protective qualities of the shell and increase the risk of contamination.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/06/08/why-you-dont-want-to-buy-organic-eggs-at-the-grocery-store-.aspx
WHAT ABOUT THE COST?
Our prices take into account that we raise our laying hens from chicks (which takes about 5 months), organic feed is about twice the cost of regular feed and (despite the best efforts of Bruno - our livestock protection dog) we loose several hens a year to predators (hawks, foxes and coyotes). Even so, our eggs are priced about $1.00 a dozen less than commercial "organic free range" eggs you will find at leading supermarkets.
WHY AREN'T YOUR EGGS USDA ORGANICALLY CERTIFIED?
It's simply a matter of economics. The organic certification process is time consuming and expensive. Not only that, as revealed in a NY Times article, the USDA certification standards are being watered down to the point where they mean less and less. Anyway, the volume of eggs we sell just doesn't justify the addition cost, let alone the increase in price that we would need to charge to cover that cost. Nonetheless, our feeders are stocked only with certified organic feed and the grazing areas have never been treated with anything but what nature (and our chickens) have deposited.
WHAT ABOUT THE RECENT STUDY DISCOUNTING THE BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FOODS?
First, there is some controversy about who was behind the study and its methodology but the focus was on fruits and vegetables, there was not a lot on animal products. In any case, when you consume non-organic vegetable products the main benefit is that you are avoiding pesticides and, in the case of some vegetables, GMO foods (common for corn, soy, rice and squash among others).
Non-organic animal products such as meat, eggs and dairy are different since you are getting whatever residue from the pesticides and GMO foods that are in the animal's feed (http://www.organicsoul.com/the-grocery-list-6-gmo-foods-you-want-to-avoid/) that ends up in the end product, plus the residue of additives in the animal feed such as growth hormones, antibiotics and (in the case of chicken at least) arsenic.
Also keep in mind that the benefit of free range or grass fed animal products is that their diet is what the animal is genetically designed to eat so
what it produced by the animal to be eaten by us is more natural. This factor was not considered in the study.
WHAT ARE JUNGLE FOWL AND WHY SHOULD I HAVE THEM?
The Red Jungle Fowl is the original chicken from which all domestic breeds have evolved. These birds are low-maintenance, predator savvy and require little in the way of commercial feed for most of the year. This type of chicken/fowl is smaller than most common sizes of chickens yet a little bigger than the modern day bantams that are being bred. These birds have one of your best chances of detecting and avoiding predators and so serve as an excelled compliment to any free range flock. If you want low-maintenance chickens to control ticks and other insect pests that also produce small (about 2/3 size) but nutritious and flavorful eggs, they are a great choice..
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/best-chicken-breeds-for-backyard-flocks.aspx#ixzz2XkY5ufXh
See photos at http://www.shutterstock.com/s/red+jungle+fowl/search.html
NOTE: We sell them only as breeding pairs so make sure that your local zoning regulations allow rooters on your property.
"After visiting over 15% of the certified egg farms in the United States, and surveying all name-brand and private-label industry marketers, it's obvious that a high percentage of the eggs on the market should be labeled 'produced with organic feed' rather than bearing the USDA-certified organic logo," said Mark A. Kastel, Cornucopia Institute's codirector and senior farm policy analyst.
Eighty percent of all organic eggs are produced by a handful of operations. Most of these businesses own hundreds of thousands to millions of birds and market a percentage of their produce as 'specialty eggs,' one of which is organic. Most of the giant henhouses used by these factory farms provide no legitimate access to the outdoors, which is a requirement of federal organic regulations.
"Many of these operators are gaming the system by providing minute enclosed porches, with roofs and concrete or wood flooring, and calling these structures 'the outdoors,'" stated Charlotte Vallaeys, a farm policy analyst with Cornucopia and lead author of the report.
"Many of the porches represent just 3 to 5 percent of the square footage of the main building housing the birds. That means 95 percent or more of the birds have absolutely no access whatsoever." http://www.drdavidalan.com/nutrition/1435
Also, the processing and cleaning of commercial eggs can pose its own risks. Most people don't realize that an eggshell is actually a porous membrane. This is why the cleaning of the eggs can degrade the protective qualities of the shell and increase the risk of contamination.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/06/08/why-you-dont-want-to-buy-organic-eggs-at-the-grocery-store-.aspx
WHAT ABOUT THE COST?
Our prices take into account that we raise our laying hens from chicks (which takes about 5 months), organic feed is about twice the cost of regular feed and (despite the best efforts of Bruno - our livestock protection dog) we loose several hens a year to predators (hawks, foxes and coyotes). Even so, our eggs are priced about $1.00 a dozen less than commercial "organic free range" eggs you will find at leading supermarkets.
WHY AREN'T YOUR EGGS USDA ORGANICALLY CERTIFIED?
It's simply a matter of economics. The organic certification process is time consuming and expensive. Not only that, as revealed in a NY Times article, the USDA certification standards are being watered down to the point where they mean less and less. Anyway, the volume of eggs we sell just doesn't justify the addition cost, let alone the increase in price that we would need to charge to cover that cost. Nonetheless, our feeders are stocked only with certified organic feed and the grazing areas have never been treated with anything but what nature (and our chickens) have deposited.
WHAT ABOUT THE RECENT STUDY DISCOUNTING THE BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FOODS?
First, there is some controversy about who was behind the study and its methodology but the focus was on fruits and vegetables, there was not a lot on animal products. In any case, when you consume non-organic vegetable products the main benefit is that you are avoiding pesticides and, in the case of some vegetables, GMO foods (common for corn, soy, rice and squash among others).
Non-organic animal products such as meat, eggs and dairy are different since you are getting whatever residue from the pesticides and GMO foods that are in the animal's feed (http://www.organicsoul.com/the-grocery-list-6-gmo-foods-you-want-to-avoid/) that ends up in the end product, plus the residue of additives in the animal feed such as growth hormones, antibiotics and (in the case of chicken at least) arsenic.
Also keep in mind that the benefit of free range or grass fed animal products is that their diet is what the animal is genetically designed to eat so
what it produced by the animal to be eaten by us is more natural. This factor was not considered in the study.
WHAT ARE JUNGLE FOWL AND WHY SHOULD I HAVE THEM?
The Red Jungle Fowl is the original chicken from which all domestic breeds have evolved. These birds are low-maintenance, predator savvy and require little in the way of commercial feed for most of the year. This type of chicken/fowl is smaller than most common sizes of chickens yet a little bigger than the modern day bantams that are being bred. These birds have one of your best chances of detecting and avoiding predators and so serve as an excelled compliment to any free range flock. If you want low-maintenance chickens to control ticks and other insect pests that also produce small (about 2/3 size) but nutritious and flavorful eggs, they are a great choice..
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/best-chicken-breeds-for-backyard-flocks.aspx#ixzz2XkY5ufXh
See photos at http://www.shutterstock.com/s/red+jungle+fowl/search.html
NOTE: We sell them only as breeding pairs so make sure that your local zoning regulations allow rooters on your property.