Posted on 12/13/2022 5:59:39 AM PST by real saxophonist
Prepare your budget: Cage-free egg rule starts in January
by: Gabrielle Franklin
Dec 12, 2022
DENVER (KDVR) — Changes are coming to a grocery store near you. The kinds of eggs available will gradually become different in Colorado, thanks to a law signed by the governor more than two years ago.
Back in 2020, lawmakers put a plan in place that they say will improve the quality of eggs and the lives of hens.
Colorado cage-free egg rules begin in January
Starting next month, caged hens in the state will need to be held in enclosures that give them one square foot of floor space. The requirement is part of the state’s phased-in efforts to go cage-free by 2025.
“By the end of January, consumers will start seeing more of the changes in the grocery stores. And they will see those changes on the side of their egg cartons,” said Mark Gallegos, with the Division of Inspection and Consumer Services within the Colorado Department of Agriculture. “They’ll notice on the side of the egg carton letters with COO-COM. That is going to indicate Colorado compliance with the 144-square-inch requirements.”
Gallegos said “probably 100 percent” of the required farms are already in compliance.
“And that’s the key point I want to kind of point out: Any producer that has less than 3,000 egg-laying hens do not need to comply with this particular regulation,” Gallegos said. “It’s our bigger egg producers that have more than 3,000 egg-laying hens, so that part of the industry is working towards compliance nationwide that is bringing cage-free eggs into Colorado.”
Cage-free eggs fetch higher prices: USDA
While those who have been preparing for the implementation of this for the past two years may be ready for the change, your wallet may not be. Prepare for just a little more sticker shock as cage-free eggs are currently estimated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be an average of 73 cents more per dozen than conventional eggs.
“We don’t track the price of eggs because that’s an industry-driven amount, but I would venture to guess consumers, depending upon the different market drivers, could see an increase in price,” Gallegos said.
While this change is coming amid an avian flu outbreak, Gallego’s said Colorado’s egg supply chain should be OK now at this stage of the outbreak compared to its onset earlier this year.
Video at source.
I’m in southwest Colorado and I paid $4.68 for a dozen eggs last week. The organic eggs were $7.70/dozen. I didn’t look for the price on cage free eggs.
If they’re in a minimum 1 square foot cage, they’re not really ‘cage-free’, are they.
Colorado already has spiking natural gas prices as they combat the winter with a shortage of natural gas. More space in chicken houses = more natural gas needed to keep all that space warm.
We just raise our own chickens now. Problem solved.
Last I checked, hens aren’t part of their constituency. What gives?
Well, we used to have Governor Chickenpooper, now we have Governor Polismoker.
“Well, we used to have Governor Chickenpooper, now we have Governor Polismoker.”
And his ‘wife’ who gives him suggestions on how to run the state.
1 square foot? That’s why when we do buy eggs which is winter and our girls are on a break we buy cage free eggs. I’m m no crusader but the two things I won’t buy are battery eggs and veal. Two really bad practices.
Colorado! Where every day is an Easter egg hunt for chicken farmers.
I'd multiply this by 4.
When I’m eating my omelette, the last thing that concerns me is the available leg space for the chicken...
There’s your answer. Keeping a few chickens for your own egg supply is not that difficult.
Our chickens produce more eggs than we can eat.
Most think of cage free as walking around eating bugs, as opposed to feed in a pen.
At least that’s what I think.
What are organic eggs? How can an animal lay non organic eggs?
Food for thought…
and your actual price per egg, was off the charts before inflation got ugly. Although roasting won’t help get back any monetary loses, it might help stop them.
Our best friends raise chickens and ducks. I’ve had one duck egg a day for breakfast this week. One had two yolks. The eggs, chicken or duck, as so much better. I haven’t purchased grocery store eggs for at least two years. Our friend won’t let us pay for them but I keep an eye out and around there they are costing from 4 to 7 dollars a dozen. The duck eggs are more expensive. She keeps them in a large pen, brings them in in the evening, feeds them high grade feed, mealy worms, and sometimes left over veggies and friends. They are such happy chickens. Oh, and the best part for the chickens and ducks? Our friends are vegetarians. So they do cull the extra males when they’re hatching some but freeze those for their dogs.
I don’t have room for chickens in my condo.
How many friends have been fed to the chickens? You better watch out. 8~)
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