Grass fed beef/organic meat/organic eggs

[fathead]

does anyone have any info or good links to info on the above topics?

im trying to get my head wrapped around what the exact meanings of certain things are such as:

organic eggs vs free range vs cage free

grass fed beef vs organic beef

example: does organic beef mean it is grass fed? does grass fed mean its organic? i have a feeling the answer to both of those example questions is "no"

im interested in trying out grass fed beef after reading much about it, i see a lot of markets in my area selling "organic" beef but not beef marked as "grass fed"

also- when you buy buffalo/bison could one assume its grass fed or are these animals also farm raised on grains and other feeds?

I have always bought the Born 3 omega eggs as they are delicious and claim to have different nutritional profiles from low grade eggs (different fats etc) and they are reasonably priced and easy to find. after doing some reading and further research im no so sure theyre so great anymore (no claims of free run/free range and they are fed a scientifically designed vegetarian diet when apparently chickens should be eating bugs and ground cover).

thanks

[gettinbigger]

a couple general definitions:
organic meat/eggs: means the animal was raised on fed that was free of pesticides and was not fed antibiotics, though antibiotics could be given to the animal during it's life but only for treatment of infection.
free range/free run: free range means the chicken has access to outdoors and is not caged. Free run means the chicken spends its life in a barn but is not caged. I would think free run and cage free are interchangeable.
grass fed: means the cow spends almost all of its life grazing pasture, well in many parts of Canada the cow would still spend a chunk of the year with access to barns/sheds and hay but unlike 'fed lot' cattle these cows don't get the bulk of their calories from corn and certainly don't eat animal protein like fed lot cows do.
A farmer in BC is experimenting with giving her cows wine. Apparently the wine changes the flavour of the meat and the cows really like to knock back a couple litres of the red stuff.

[ubcpower]

organic eggs: All chicken feed (grain, vegetables, scraps) are organic. They can still be caged and/or penned
Free Range: Chickens are let out of coop throughout the day to feed. Thus they are digging around in the soil (worms, bugs, vegetation). This is what we let ours do.
Cage Free: Means they are penned or cooped and not caged. More space to move around in an outdoor pen, yet their diets are still controlled to what the farmer will feed them (usually just grain and sometimes vegetable scraps)

Some farming techniques to improve quality of eggs (ones we use) are feeding them their own eggs shells (keeps egg shells strong and increases calcium) , giving them Oyster Shells to work away at.
vs free range vs cage free

[JonnyO]

UBC, you a have chicken or a farm or something?

How was Japan?

[fathead]

so organic beef could theoretically be cows fed a diet of organic corn?

where are some good sources for grass fed beef?

also, is buffalo/bison generally grass fed or are they commonly farm raised on man made feed now?

[ironwill]

Buffalo are typically range animals, and therefore grass feeders...Even if grass fed, they have to be grass finished as well...Many farmers finish their cattle with grain, it only takes a few weeks to change the composition of the fats in bovines...

[ubcpower]

UBC, you a have chicken or a farm or something?

How was Japan?

Yah bro, my family has a horse boarding ranch out in south langley. around 224th and 4th. We have about 40 chickens.
Japan was great man, the canadian baseball team did well besides being dominated by USA and CUBA.
Still looking for a teaching job though so currently a bum :)

[O-Train]

If you ask me. I'd much rather get eggs (and meat) from a well maintained biosecure facility that vaccinates their birds.

[baza]

The problem with cage free and free range chickens is that the term is used so loosely, you never really know what you are getting unless you know exactly where it's coming from.
Since the price is a lot more, there are many farms that do the minimum in order to be able to label their chickens 'cage free' or 'free range'. In reality, many of the chickens at these farms are no different than ones that are caged. I think it's a bigger issue in the US than Canada, but I'm sure it's everywhere. I've read articles about 'shady' farms in the US.

There are very few options in Manitoba. I get my chicken breast from Frigs here in Manitoba. As far as I know they are one of only a couple places that actually have free range chicken breast, rather than full chickens. I pay $7.50/lb. And the thing is (my terminology may be off) the chicken from these farms are not certified. What I mean is, it costs money be offically 'registered'(? government inspected?), so most of these farms are not. So what I take this as, is they are trusting these farms to be providing what they say they are. Since the profit margin is over 3X, it makes you wonder what you are actually getting. But that being said, you can usually taste the difference from organic free range, and regular chicken. And the eggs, you can tell a difference, as free range eggs are a light yellow yolk, compared to the bright yellow you get from a regular grocer.

[O-Train]

The problem with cage free and free range chickens is that the term is used so loosely, you never really know what you are getting unless you know exactly where it's coming from.
Since the price is a lot more, there are many farms that do the minimum in order to be able to label their chickens 'cage free' or 'free range'. In reality, many of the chickens at these farms are no different than ones that are caged. I think it's a bigger issue in the US than Canada, but I'm sure it's everywhere. I've read articles about 'shady' farms in the US.

There are very few options in Manitoba. I get my chicken breast from Frigs here in Manitoba. As far as I know they are one of only a couple places that actually have free range chicken breast, rather than full chickens. I pay $7.50/lb. And the thing is (my terminology may be off) the chicken from these farms are not certified. What I mean is, it costs money be offically 'registered'(? government inspected?), so most of these farms are not. So what I take this as, is they are trusting these farms to be providing what they say they are. Since the profit margin is over 3X, it makes you wonder what you are actually getting. But that being said, you can usually taste the difference from organic free range, and regular chicken. And the eggs, you can tell a difference, as free range eggs are a light yellow yolk, compared to the bright yellow you get from a regular grocer.

Different commercial feed sources will also produce different coloured egg yolks.