There’s an egg for everyone.

No. America’s egg farmers do not give hormones to their hens or chicks. In fact, using hormones with egg-laying hens and chicks has been banned by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for more than half a century. Because all animals have naturally occurring hormones, we can’t say hens are “hormone-free”, but they’re never given hormones. Also, according to FDA regulations, no additives or colors can ever be added to eggs.^10,11,36

Egg farmers use antibiotics sparingly, responsibly, and safely.

Even though egg farms are designed and maintained to keep hens in good health, chickens—like all animals—can occasionally get sick. When that happens, the farmer can opt to treat the hen with an FDA-approved antibiotic that targets the specific illness. There are two antibiotics the FDA has approved for use in treating and controlling illness in laying hens, and there are strict regulations around their use to ensure that they won’t have any negative impact on human health.¹²

The vast majority of laying hens never receive antibiotics.

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One way of egg farming is not better than another—they’re just different approaches for how to balance productivity, cost, use of natural resources, and hen care. Each type of hen housing has different challenges when it comes to the health and safety of the hens, the impact on the environment, and affordability of eggs. When you’re standing at the egg case in your grocery store, you have options—and the more you know about them, the easier it is to decide which eggs are right for you.

Cage free means that the hens aren’t in cages, but it doesn’t mean that the chickens are running around outside. On cage-free egg farms, hens live inside barns where they have protection from predators (like foxes, weasels, and hawks) and extreme weather. They have the freedom to move around the barn with other hens and have food, water, scratch areas, perches, and nests they can use. This type of environment is also referred to as “free roaming.” Ten states have passed cage-free laws or regulations, usually requiring a minimum of 1 square foot of floor space per hen excluding space allocated for nesting boxes.²⁸ Some people mistakenly describe cage-free barns as “crowded,” without understanding that the birds have more than enough space to engage in their natural behaviors. The hens do, however, tend to flock. “Birds of a feather…”

Cage-free housing is more cost-intensive for farmers than caged housing because it’s more labor intensive to collect eggs and because hens can get injured more easily. Maybe you’ve heard of “the pecking order”? It’s natural that, when hens are sharing space, they often peck each other to establish social order.

Free-range chickens, like cage-free chickens, can roam around inside a building, room, or open area where they have nesting space and perches. But, unlike eggs labeled “cage free,” free-range hens also have access to the outdoors. This means that free-range hens may have a more diverse diet when they can forage for wild plants and insects. Of course, being outside the barn also means that the birds are more susceptible to predator attacks and extreme weather. The size of the outdoor space for free-range farming isn’t regulated and varies between farms and the space, itself, might be pasture or a yard with a gravel or a concrete surface. Certified Humane® defines “free range” as having at least 6 hours of outdoor access and a minimum of two square feet of outdoor space per bird.^29,30

Pasture-raised eggs are laid by hens that roam and forage on a maintained pasture area that usually includes a mobile shelter for nesting. Pasture-raised hens tend to have the most space per hen of any housing environment, though this is not regulated. They also have a more diverse diet, since they’re able to forage for bugs, grass, and plants that supplement the food the farmer gives them. Pasture-raised eggs usually cost more because this housing environment is labor intensive for the farmer and requires more land, with smaller flocks and a lower volume of eggs and significant loss of birds to predators. Certified Humane^® “Pasture Raised” specifies 108 sq. ft. per bird. The hens must be outdoors year-round, with mobile or fixed housing where the hens can go inside at night, or for up to two weeks out of the year, due only to very inclement weather.³¹ Being “pasture-raised” is not the same thing as being “organic.”

Free-range and pasture-raised eggs are both laid by hens that have access to the outdoors. They eat chicken feed and can also forage for insects and wild plants. The main difference between them is that free-range chickens are kept in a barn with access to the outdoors, while pasture-raised chickens are raised on an open pasture with access to shelter.

All USDA Certified Organic eggs come from uncaged chickens with some access to the outdoors, but there’s more to this designation than just the type of hen housing that’s used. For eggs to be certified organic, they must also be from hens that are fed an organic diet of feed that’s produced without conventional pesticides or fertilizers.

Enriched colony is a type of hen housing that isn’t very common in the U.S. Odds are you won’t see it on a carton label, but some farms do use this specific style. Enriched-colony hens live in small groups in larger cages that include “enrichments” like perch space, dust bathing, or scratch areas. Being raised in smaller groups helps reduce the hens’ natural “pecking order” aggressions that can lead to injuries, but the hens are still caged, so they don’t move freely around the barn.

These eggs are laid by hens living in cages that serve as nesting spaces. The cages are designed to make it easy to care for the hens and collect their eggs. Chickens can be aggressive, pecking each other to establish social order, and the cages significantly reduce that. Cages also allow for better sanitation and make it easier for farmers to monitor each hen’s health. However, these cages don’t afford the hens room to roam around or fully spread their wings and they don’t have access to the outdoors or engage in natural behaviors like dust bathing or foraging. Specific standards for caged hen housing are set by third-party certification programs and by state laws. More than 90% of U.S. egg production falls under a United Egg Producers (UEP) certification program.³⁷ UEP certification for conventional housing specifies 6-7 hens per cage and 67-86 sq inches per hen.²⁷

For every type of egg you find in the store, providing excellent care for the hens that laid them is that egg farmer’s priority—these birds are their livelihoods—and America’s egg farmers are committed to providing whatever kinds of eggs people want and are willing to buy.

In partnership with their business customers (grocers, restaurants, and food manufacturers) and to comply with changes to some state laws, many egg farmers have already or are currently transitioning their farms to expand the supply of cage-free eggs. Converting to or building new cage-free barns is the single largest investment an egg farmer will ever make, and farmers are making these investments responsibly and in line with actual consumer demand. In fact, the cage-free supply has increased by more than 430% in the past decade,³⁸ and today there are more than enough cage-free eggs available to meet consumer and customer demand.^38,39,40 At the current rate of growth, cage-free eggs will remain plentiful in the coming years for anyone who wants them.⁴¹

Each type of hen housing has its own benefits and challenges when it comes to the health and safety of the hens, the impact on the environment, and affordability of eggs. The benefits of raising hens outdoors are obvious—fresh air, sunshine, grass for foraging and generally more room to move around and engage in natural behaviors. But there are also significant benefits to raising hens inside. For instance, the farmer can keep them safe from extreme weather, possible introduction of diseases (like bird flu), and predators (like hawks and foxes)—and it’s easier (i.e., less labor-intensive) to collect their eggs. Farmers who raise chickens inside can also keep their hens cool in hot climates and warm in cold climates, and it’s easier to see when a hen is sick and needs veterinary attention.

There are a lot of options when it comes to eggs, and we consider that a big benefit to people who eat eggs. Not only are eggs abundant in this country, but having different types to choose from means you can select exactly the right egg for you based on your own budget and priorities. Whether you choose the eggs with the lowest price, those with a particular designation like organic, or prefer the eggs that come from hens that aren’t caged and live outdoors, they’re all there for you. We’ve created this website to help you understand the terminology you see on egg cartons so that you can decide what features and benefits matter most to you. Whichever eggs you choose, you should know that all eggs produced by America’s egg farmers have a very similar combination of nutritional benefits. Not only are all eggs nutrient-rich, but unless they’ve been enhanced (as with Omega-3 being added to the hens’ feed so that the eggs they lay contain Omega-3), all eggs have the same essential nutrients, which, in addition to high-quality protein, include phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and all essential trace elements including copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc.

Different breeds of hens lay eggs with different color eggshells. The color of the shell—brown or white, for example—doesn’t indicate that the egg inside has different nutrients or even a different taste profile than an egg with a different color shell. All eggs are virtually identical in taste and nutritional value.⁴² Usually, white hens lay white eggs and red or brown hens lay brown eggs, which are the two most common colors of eggshell. However, different breeds of chicken lay cream, pink, blue, green, or speckled eggs, which have the same nutritional content unless the package says they are nutritionally enhanced.

The color of an egg yolk depends on the hen’s diet. Recently, there’s been a trend toward people wanting yolks with a deeper orange color, which is often achieved by adding marigold petals or red pepper to the chicken feed. Whether dark orange, light orange, or pale creamy color, the color of the yolk does not affect the egg’s basic nutritional value, with the exception of the presence of pigments called carotenoids. Carotenoids are what produce the bright yellow, red and orange colors in plants, vegetables and fruits. Most egg yolks in the U.S. are bright yellow or yellow-orange due to the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin that typically come from the corn in the hens’ diet.

A variation in color and appearance on the inside of different eggs is generally normal. Here’s an explanation of what you might see.⁴³

• A cloudy egg white indicates the egg is very, very fresh. The cloudiness is due to naturally occurring levels of carbon dioxide when an egg is laid.
• The white, cordlike strands of egg white are called the chalazae. The chalazae anchor the yolk in place, and the more visible they are, the fresher the egg is. Chalazae don’t interfere with the cooking or beating of the white and so they don’t need to be taken out.
• Lighter or darker yellow yolks are influenced by pigments in hen feed. Hens fed wheat and barley produce eggs with lighter color yolks, and hens fed green plants, corn, and alfalfa produce eggs with darker color yolks. The yolk color doesn’t indicate hen health or significant nutritional differences, and it doesn’t have any relationship to egg quality, flavor, cooking characteristics, or shell thickness.
• A red spot near the yolk indicates a blood or meat spot. This is caused by the rupture of a small blood vessel around the yolk at the time of ovulation, or the presence of tissue when the egg is being formed. These eggs are completely safe to eat with proper cooking.
• A green ring on a hard-cooked yolk is the result of overcooking. The green color is caused by sulfur and iron compound reactions on the yolk surface. Hard-cooked eggs can also have black or brown spots on the albumen (egg white) from overcooking or burning. Discoloration due to overcooking doesn’t impact food safety and these eggs are safe to eat.
• Spoiled eggs are indicated by off-color egg whites (and often a bad smell). Most egg whites are clear, but if an egg white is pink or iridescent it’s an indication of spoilage due to Pseudomonas bacteria. The egg may also be spoiled if the egg white is greenish, so don’t eat an egg that has those tints to it.

Yes, they are. America’s egg farmers take the stewardship of their land extremely seriously and are constantly improving farming and egg production practices to minimize environmental impact. The World Resources Institute ranked egg production as having a “low environmental impact” in line with plant-based proteins and lower than other animal-source proteins except fish.

Eggs are a “climate-friendly protein.” America’s egg farmers carefully manage water, land, and emissions, as well as hen health and habitation—all factors that contribute to the sustainability of eggs. Careful oversight of these resources has made eggs one of the most sustainable and accessible high-quality animal proteins. Over the past 50 years, the egg industry has reduced its environmental footprint by improving every single aspect of the egg production process—from increased feed efficiency to improvements in hen housing and manure management. Egg farms now use less water and energy on a daily basis and release fewer emissions than ever before. Due to innovation and advancements, it only took 18% more hens to meet the demands of a U.S. population that grew a whopping 72% over the same 5-year period.²⁰

A landmark study by the Egg Industry Center located at Iowa State University comparing U.S. egg production in 2010 to the industry in 1960 showed that America’s egg farmers have made a lot of progress in reducing their environmental footprint, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 71%, water use by 32%, and feed consumption by more than half.²⁰

• Feed efficiency plays a big role in reducing environmental impact. Because of advancements in nutrition and bird breeding, young hens now require 48% less food during the rearing period than they did in 1960, and laying hens require less feed. For some perspective, using 1960 technology to produce the 2010 egg supply would have required 78 million more hens, 1.3 million more acres of corn, and 1.8 million more acres of soybeans.
• Advancements in hen housing, such as improved building ventilation, temperature control, better lighting, and a more secure housing environment protect hens from disease-carrying wildlife. Egg farmers across the country adopted the techniques that proved the most effective in keeping hens healthier and enabling them to produce more eggs. Also, advancements in preventative medicine to eliminate avian diseases have made a big difference in egg farmers’ ability to keep their hens healthy.
• Manure management has played a role in minimizing the egg industry’s environmental footprint. The vast majority of manure from laying hens is recycled into crop production where it provides the nutrients plants need to grow, contributes to healthy soils, saves energy, and reduces farmers’ use of commercial (i.e., chemical) fertilizer.

Everybody in the industry is vigilant about egg safety. Not only do farmers’ livelihoods depend on their ability to produce consistently safe food, but the USDA and FDA set rigorous standards and conduct regular testing to ensure that this country produces some of the safest and highest quality eggs in the world.

All eggs, regardless of color or how the hen is raised, have basically the same nutritional content unless the package says they are nutritionally enhanced. All eggs are nutrient-rich and the nutrient content of eggs is pretty much the same regardless of shell color (white or brown), grade (AA, A, or B), or how they are raised (organic, free-range, or conventional). When in doubt, always check the Nutrition Facts label on the carton.

Not if you care about getting the best nutrition. Everyone values the protein in egg whites, but if you don’t eat the yolk you’re really missing out. Nearly half of an egg’s protein and most of its vitamins and minerals—including choline which supports a healthy brain—are found in the yolk.

No. Cholesterol in food does not impact your body’s cholesterol like we once thought.⁴⁴ Extensive research has shown that eggs do not increase heart disease risk.^{45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52} In fact, the American Heart Association recommends eggs as a part of a healthy diet for healthy adults.^53,54 There are exceptions, of course, due to heredity or other factors, so it’s important to always consult your doctor if you’re concerned about cholesterol or heart health.

Enriched eggs have greater amounts of certain nutrients than are normally found in eggs. Some people are willing to pay a little more for eggs that have extra Vitamin D or Omega 3, and if the farmer adds these nutrients to the hen feed (which costs the farmer more to do), that hen’s eggs will contain higher levels of those nutrients than normal. For instance, Omega-3 eggs are produced by hens fed a diet that includes ingredients like flaxseed.

Just like other certified organic foods, organic eggs must meet specific standards. “Certified Organic” is a USDA designation. It tells you that the farmers have used designated methods, practices, and substances in producing and handling crops, livestock, and processed agricultural products. Organic eggs are eggs from chickens not raised in cages that have some access to the outdoors and that are fed only organic feed. Certified organic eggs are labeled “antibiotic-free” because the farmers don’t use any antibiotics at any time in the chicken’s life.

Affordable, quality food matters to everyone, and for the incredible protein quality and nutrition they deliver, eggs are always a good deal. That said, farmers don’t usually set the price of their eggs. Eggs are priced on wholesale markets, similar to the commodity markets for corn and wheat, which means you may see temporary changes in egg prices due to supply and demand volatility and factors that affect the farm. There are even times when the price of eggs is so low that the farmer doesn’t make a profit. Like any other sector of the economy, egg farming can be impacted by inflation or experience supply chain challenges that you may see reflected in egg prices at the grocery store. Sometimes, animal diseases like avian influenza (bird flu) or other unusual circumstances can impact prices, too.

No. The USDA and the CDC have confirmed that avian influenza (bird flu) is a low risk to food safety and public health.

There isn’t any evidence that bird flu can be transmitted through properly handled and fully cooked eggs and poultry and the possibility of eggs from infected poultry making it into the retail market is low, due to safeguards in place, which include testing of flocks and federal inspection programs.

The health and safety of their hens is every egg farmer’s top priority. Working closely with state and federal government authorities, U.S. egg farmers maintain stringent biosecurity measures to keep the disease—which is carried by wild birds—off their farms and their birds safe.