Today, I lucked out and was able to grocery shop without my kids in tow. This led to a nice leisurely pace. Feeling a bit spoiled with the quiet time, I took liberties in checking things out. While wandering through the dairy and egg aisle I decided to check into what a dozen of eggs were even going for these days. I am lucky to raise backyard chickens and enjoy their healthy and delicious eggs, but I realize that not everyone has that option.
To my surprise in the egg section, I saw quite a few brands of eggs that had cartons labeled “Vegetarian Fed”. How does one have vegetarian fed hens? Just earlier today, while cleaning the coop I found a dead mouse. My chickens had killed him and taken liberties of tasting the dear little fella. They also enjoyed their mealworms with breakfast. My backyard flock is clearly not vegetarian fed.


When I got home, I reread the labels of the feed that I buy. It is also a vegetarian based feed. The protein source in the feed are plant based. However, my ladies do get a nice chunk of land and many hours outdoors to scrounge about for extra protein sources. I am glad, that I can say my chickens are not vegetarian fed after all. They scratch, eat bugs and mealworms…. even the occasional mouse.
What is someone who does not raise chickens supposed to do for eggs? That is a tough question. I live in a rural area. If I didn’t raise my own chickens, my neighbors do, or my local farmers’ market is full of farm fresh eggs. I certainly support buying local for its benefits to the farmers and their animals. If you are in a more urban area that makes chicken keeping or farmers markets not as available, certified organic eggs may be the better of two evils. The eggs certainly cost more, but the commercial farm that they are produced is at the least regulated.
For more information about Egg Carton Labels be sure to check out The Humane Society of the United States.
6 Comments
I think my girls would hate being vegetarians!
Mine sure would. Their dinosaur ancestry comes out when there is meal-worms or grubs to be found. lol
Oh, thank you! I love this post, I asked a similar question last year at the Farmer’s Market when a vendor told me his chickens were vegetarians; this was just a few months before I got my first batch of chickens. So even at the Farmer’s Market there can be misinformation, but in this case, I think it’s probably just a marketing tactic. So unfortunate. It make me laugh, being a vegetarian myself, but I certainly would not ask it of my chickens!
Your welcome! I hope you are having fun with your first batch of chicks. Have you gotten eggs yet?
Thank you Liz! They are pretty awesome and so much fun to find in the egg boxes..still even after years of raising hens.
I still think your eggs are of a higher quality than those raised in a crowded coop. I bet they’re wonderful!