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Original poster

Caged eggs

54 replies

GuerlainHo · 07/09/2022 14:35

I usually always buy free range eggs (I know a lot of people say there is really NO difference between caged/ organic/ free range) but as I was abit strapped for cash; I ended up buying a pack of caged eggs last week.
So far, the eggs I have eaten have either given me a very upset stomach or even if I feel ok- the eggs smell really raw? And my burps seem extremely eggy. Don’t know how else to describe it.
Im wondering if maybe I’ve stored them wrong? I picked them up in sainsburys from the shelf (not from the fridge) but I’m wondering how others usually store caged eggs? Should I be refrigerating them, and is this why my stomach seems to disagree with them? I eat eggs very often so don’t think it’s an intolerance. Thanks

OP posts:
hothorses · 07/09/2022 14:38

As someone who has rescued chickens from many different situations, I can confirm that there certainly is a significant difference between caged and free range eggs. If you can only afford caged eggs then I wouldn't bother getting any.

Surtsey · 07/09/2022 14:39

Eggs is eggs. Maybe you're subconsciously reacting like that because you know they aren't free range.

Original poster
GuerlainHo · 07/09/2022 14:40

@hothorses
I completely agree and usually buy free range or organic but with increasing prices I’ve had to buy caged this time. Now I’m thinking to throw them away as the smell everytime I crack an egg is off putting and my stomach seems to really notice the difference 😳

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Original poster
GuerlainHo · 07/09/2022 14:41

@Surtsey I’m not sure that’s the case as I’m not a snob and often eat at cafe’s which I’m sure use caged eggs and I eat them with no issue.

the issue is the pack I have bought and I’m asking how others store caged eggs usually.

OP posts:
Newusernameaug · 07/09/2022 14:42

There’s huge difference between how they’re kept, what they’re fed and ultimately the eggs!
have you not seen photos comparing the eggs and the yolk colour or not noticed it?

I would hazard a guess that the caged chickens are given some kind of supplement / drug / food (they need extra support as obviously it’s normal for them to be caged so susceptible to various diseases and illnesses) and it’s this additional thing in their diet that’s causing you discomfort or a mild allergy?

MugginsOverEre · 07/09/2022 14:43

Maybe it's a tummy upset because you don't feel good using those eggs? I'm know it sounds silly but I hate hate hate caged hen eggs because to me it's the worst part of the meat and dairy industry and they actually give me an upset tummy. It's probably in my head but I think the result is genuine.

Coming from a farming background I'm okay with meat because the animals are born, cared for and then it's a relatively quick death. Done. Finished.

Caged hens are alive and unable to move around or do anything that comes natural to them. I will only buy fresh eggs straight from the farm (luckily a neighbouring farm). There is certainly a difference in egg quality too. Much better than free range mass produced eggs too.

Original poster
GuerlainHo · 07/09/2022 14:44

@Newusernameaug
Of course I know the difference between the two as I usually buy free range in the hopes for a better egg quality.
Like you said, could be what the chickens have been ingesting which is making me feel unwell.

think I’ll stick with free range from now on.

OP posts:
MugginsOverEre · 07/09/2022 14:45

That's a good point. They probably eat special additives and supplements in cages. I can't help but think a difference in egg quality is likely.

FictionalCharacter · 07/09/2022 14:48

Sounds like it’s a bad batch. I’d be asking Sainsburys for a refund.

This is going to be an unfortunate knock-on effect of the rising cost of living. People will be buying lower quality, low welfare food. Just when we were finally getting somewhere with animal welfare and environmental standards in farming. I fear we’ll be going back to factory farming - highest possible production to churn out cheap food, with no regard to animal welfare or environmental protection.

ookook · 07/09/2022 14:50

Does it say to refrigerate them. I refrigerated free range ones. Are you cooking them properly? I think even the free range chickens have been indoors for a while when there was birdflu and stuff and they never made me ill then. Maybe you are allergic to eggs.

FictionalCharacter · 07/09/2022 14:52

BTW I keep my own hens (primarily as pets, the eggs are secondary for us) and sometimes struggle to give the eggs away!! The people who like them, really love them - they taste so much better. But some people seem to think that shop-bought eggs are somehow better because they’re commercially produced and somehow “quality controlled” - a misunderstanding of how it all works.

StrikeandRobin · 07/09/2022 14:54

I usually buy free range in the hopes for a better egg quality

I buy free range in the hopes the hens have a better life quality!
If you think they are making you ill don’t eat them.

MarshaMelrose · 07/09/2022 14:54

It's not the eggs making you ill, it's your conscience.

ClumpingBambooIsALie · 07/09/2022 14:55

All eggs from March to May this year were barn eggs at best due to bird flu, so if you felt okay with those, maybe you could try going up from caged to barn — still cheaper than free range.

ProperSorryFrown · 07/09/2022 14:56

Free range chickens are still slaughtered alongside caged hens at 72 weeks.

Male chicks in both camps are thrown alive into a blender. (Macerator)

Both free range and barn kept hens are not given food or water for at least 24 hours before slaughter. They arrive hungry,thirsty and frightened.

I used to work in a processing plant. We would slaughter 10,000 chickens every hour. Hand on heart, not much difference I'm afraid.

ClumpingBambooIsALie · 07/09/2022 14:58

To be honest though it sounds like the eggs are off.

BTW yolk colour is nothing to go on, that can be manipulated by changing the feed.

Original poster
GuerlainHo · 07/09/2022 15:05

@ClumpingBambooIsALie
Ive thought the same; although they have at least 8 days left until the display until date and even more for the best before date.

I picked them off the shelf and so I didn’t think I would need to refrigerate them once I got home (as I usually buy free range off the shelf and keep them on the shelf at home) but as I haven’t bought cage free before; I’m wondering if I’ve mucked up and worried they may have spoiled.

safer to chuck them which I’ve done. Thanks

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MugginsOverEre · 07/09/2022 15:08

FictionalCharacter · 07/09/2022 14:52

BTW I keep my own hens (primarily as pets, the eggs are secondary for us) and sometimes struggle to give the eggs away!! The people who like them, really love them - they taste so much better. But some people seem to think that shop-bought eggs are somehow better because they’re commercially produced and somehow “quality controlled” - a misunderstanding of how it all works.

My in-laws wouldn't dream of touching home produced eggs. Like they think they're made a different way to shop bought free range eggs? They shuddered and made retching noises when I told them I buy farm eggs and have to wash feathers and a bit of poop off. That said, they are very childish people when it comes to eating and their fussiness is akin to a toddlers. Scratch that. I had toddlers. None were allowed to be that silly over food.

limitedperiodonly · 07/09/2022 15:18

I doubt it's the eggs. If they were off the smell would knock you back as soon as you cracked one. I suspect your eggy farts have another cause and you've pinned it on the caged eggs because you feel guilty. Eggs do not need to be refrigerated. Neither should they be washed because the shell is semi-permeable so the shit will wash through.

What the hens eat makes a difference. I once ate eggs that were faintly fishy - they weren't bad, I think it was the food the hens had been given. The last eggs The dozen caged eggs we've just finished had the most amazingly yellow yolks - again, it must have been the food. I've eaten free range eggs that were very pale but still tasted of egg.

Higher welfare ones are obviously better if you can afford them. Not if you can't. I bought Clarence Court Burford eggs when I was feeling flush once. They are really hard to crack. Whatever the hens are fed is much better for them. I think they tasted better but I might have imagined it. They were about 40p an egg compared to 11p for the caged ones.

ClumpingBambooIsALie · 07/09/2022 15:22

I can't afford to buy fancy eggs as a matter of course, but whenever I see Burford Browns or Legbar eggs or anything else extremely fancy that have been knocked down massively for quick sale, I buy them and have a soft-boiled eggs with soldiers blowout for dinner, instead of something more dinnery. They definitely do taste better but I wouldn't want to get used to them Grin

Original poster
GuerlainHo · 07/09/2022 15:27

@limitedperiodonly

The thing is; they do smell weird when I crack them. Really eggy and raw if that makes sense; but as they were only bought a few days ago and have over a week until they ‘expire’- I assume they must be fine.

I haven’t cracked open a rotten egg before so I’m unsure what they smell like but I know these ones smell very raw. Not like the free range ones I usually buy. Hence why I’m questioning if this is normal for caged eggs and if I should be keeping them in the fridge.

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ClumpingBambooIsALie · 07/09/2022 15:31

If they were actually rotten you'd know about it. Once you smell it, you know very definitely that this is what's meant by a rotten egg.

But it's possible for there to be something else wrong with an egg or off about it, or just different, and if they don't smell right to you and you feel ill when you eat them then, unless you're totally skint, why keep eating them? Even if it's psychological, that doesn't make you feel any less ill.

AssignedSlytherinAtBirth · 07/09/2022 15:36

It's likely that the hens were fed fish meal and this can affect the smell/taste. I always keep eggs in the fridge. They are perishable so surely it makes sense to keep them cold?

Original poster
GuerlainHo · 07/09/2022 15:40

@ClumpingBambooIsALie

I don’t recall mentioning I keep eating them so unsure why the snarky comment was made; I have eaten about 3 from the pack and first time they smelled odd but I wasn’t sick. I assumed this was because of the egg quality. Second time I’ve smelled the same smell and had a dodgy stomach and now I’m here asking for advice and chosen to throw them away.
My question is asking HOW PEOPLE STORE EGGS; not to debate about egg qualitY and I certainly don’t have the time to argue with you over eggs…

Toodles

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Original poster
GuerlainHo · 07/09/2022 15:42

@AssignedSlytherinAtBirth

Usually eggs are stored on the shelf and not in or near the fridge in the supermarkets I go to so I wouldn’t assume they are perishable so I didn’t put them in the fridge.

The fish meal could have something to do with it though. Either way, they are in the bin now.

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