Animal Welfare Approved Eggs.

Living in an apartment you don't really have a chance to raise your own chickens for eggs.  I have heard many of the horror stories of chickens in factory farms, so I don't really like to purchase just any eggs from the store.  We are very lucky though.  My fiancee's co-worker has ranch with several chickens   I love opening the carton to see what color we got that week.

These chickens are spoiled rotten.  Wade acers really goes out of their way to care for their animals and I love that I get to support them.  The chickens live on a pasture, fed sprouted grain, and last year they became animal welfare approved.. Most  labels you think insure that the chickens are raised humanely  really don't mean much.  A chicken may be classified as "free range"  if it has occasionally outside access.  But how often and how much is never specified.   Eggs may be labeled as organic, but beak cutting and forced molting from starvation is still permitted.  The more I learned the more horrified I was.

Animal welfare approved is the highest standard for any animal.  Animals must be allowed to act naturally in a state of physical and mental well being.  Beak cutting is strictly forbidden.  Chickens must have continuous access to the outside and perches. Only family farmers are eligible.  The chickens are allowed to have dust baths  and molt naturally.   In other words they are allowed to be chickens.

This label is truly remarkable, so many times in the past I felt like sure I was paying for the nicest eggs I could find, but I had no idea if they were really treating this animals in a humane manner.  I feel a piece of mind every time I see this label.   Heck after 8 years as a vegetarian we are discussing purchasing some beef this fall.

Wade Acres, the ranch we purchase our eggs from

The Humane Society of the Untied States page on Egg carton labels 

Animal Welfare Approved Standards