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Egg yolk changes. We were greenwashed and are furious! Here's the scoop.

written by

Marie Reedell

posted on

March 22, 2024

laying-hens.jpg

Why we switched our chicken feed

If you've followed our blog for some time, then you know that I do a good amount of muckraking on the food industry - conventional, organic, or otherwise.  But, this week, I need to rake the muck on us (more specifically on our corn & soy free eggs)!

I recently found out that I was duped!!! I'll be honest, I'm pretty pissed. Here's what happened.


Our laying hens' feed has come from the same feed supplier for years (not gonna mention any names). I've had lengthly phone calls with this feed supplier, and everything they told me has always sounded amazing. All the natural standards you could hope for.

Don't get me wrong. There were some yellow flags every now and then. 

For example, how did those yolks stay deep orange in the winter without any added colorants? How did the birds transition so easily to a corn & soy free feed? How are you absolutely certain that the feed is chemical free if you don't always buy directly from a farm and aren't always buying organic grains? Is a glyphosate test every once in a while enough?

But then, a few weeks ago, there was a major red flag. One of our egg farmers noticed something very alarming: A soybean oil tag was on a feed bag for our corn & soy free feed! What!?!?

This prompted an egg farmer to share a complete feed list with me, which showed that there was, in fact, marigold and paprika in the feed as a natural colorant. This explains why the yolks have been orange in the colder months. Ugh, to my knowledge there was no added colorants and I even wrote a blog post about it last year.

Why wasn't the feed supplier honest? What else was he not being 100% truthful about? Well, I have no idea. But, I'm glad I can make it right now.

That soybean oil tag was the final straw and prompted a very quick switch to a new feed supplier for our laying hens.

They're new, they're local, and they have full transparency

Egg Yolk Changes

You may notice pale egg yolks as the birds transition to the new feed and we get all the rations in place. It may take a few months to normalize.

The new feed supplier is working with us to customize the feed. It's our goal to produce a feed that's (1) the most natural; (2) provides optimal nutrition for our laying hens; and (3) produces the most nutrient-dense eggs for you. 

Please know we are actively working on this. It's a top priority. We will make sure to update the corn & soy free eggs product description with accurate and current feed ingredients.

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As of today, here are ALL of the ingredients in our corn & soy free laying hen feed (including the ingredients in the ingredients, too). It has the same basic basic ingredients advertised as the old feed... with some added vitamins and minerals.

MAIN FEED INGREDIENTS

This makes up 90%+ of the feed. About 20% of the grains below are sourced from local farms and about 80% come from Canada. All ingredients are GMO-free. If bought in from a distributor and we can't verify if chemicals were used, it will likely be organic.

  • Oats
  • Rolled wheat
  • Peas
  • Alfalfa hay leaves
  • Barley
  • Fishmeal (Fertrell's FERFISH): 100% whole sardine meal that is wild-caught off the coast of South America. The fishery has a sustainability certificate so they only harvest what they can take to sustainably keep the fish population going for the future. They used mixed tocopherols as the preservative (the only preservative allowed under Organic Regulations) and never use Ethoxyquin. The fish meal is used in the ration both as a great source of protein and amino acids, but also because it attracts the birds to their feed and actually helps them digest it better.
  • Sesame Meal (from Tipple M Farms): Ground sesame seeds
  • Goat Whey (raw liquid): From local pasture raised goats

VITAMINS & MINERALS

All supplements are certified for organic and GMO-free. There are no added oils or additives (like preservatives or anti-caking agents). The loooong lists below are exactly what's in them. There's a nutritional reason for each and every one.

  • Poultry Nutri-Balancer (from Fertrell): Monocalcium Phosphate, Organic Dehydrated Kelp Meal, Salt, DL Methionine, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper
    Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Active Dry Yeast, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product.
  • Aragonite: This is just ground aragonite rocks
  • York Calcium Chips: Limestone
  • Monocal Phos (from Fertrell): Monocalcium phosphate (which is phosphorous and calcium that has been chemically bonded together)
  • Spnutzym Nutri-Zyme (from Fertrell): Enzymes derived from lactic acid bacteria and ground limestone. The enzymes are grown on dairy but there's no dairy in the final product.
  • Redmond Salt: Unrefined ancient sea salt from Salt Lake City, Utah which contains 60+ naturally-occurring trace minerals
  • Paprika: This is a natural coloring that makes the yolks orange... even when the birds aren't eating fresh grass in the warmer months. It gives the birds (and the eggs) antioxidants and vitamin A, too.
  • Marigold Flowers: This is a natural coloring like paprika. It also gives the birds (and the eggs) extra antioxidants.

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Why such a long ingredient list?

I know what you're likely thinking. It's probably the same thing I thought as I was doing extensive research on this: Why such a long ingredient list? Can't we do this more naturally? Can't we eliminate synthetic vitamins? 

I've emailed back and forth with the egg farmers and the new feed supplier. I read the technical sheets for every single ingredient (and reached out to the companies if I needed more info). I had a 45-minute phone call with a feed specialist from Fertrell. I've done some additional research online. Everything has been very enlightening. 

We also conducted an egg survey with our customers, which was extremely helpful in deciding which direction to go in. 

You can find all the answers to your questions as well as current egg feed ingredients here:

READ MORE: What's in our natural egg feed? And why is it in there anyway?



More from the blog

What’s really in a grocery store turkey?

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Does exploding milk kefir mean it's bad? Not necessarily.

We get this question from customers on the regular --> "My kefir exploded. Is that normal? Does that mean it's bad?" The answer? Bubbly volcanic kefir is 100% ok. Kefir is known as the "champagne of dairy" for a reason! In case you haven't tried it, milk kefir is a fermented drink made with milk. It's similar in taste to yogurt (a little stronger in my opinion) but has more probiotics.  As I've heard it said, yogurt is good for cleansing the gut. Kefir, on the other hand, adds to the gut. People working to heal or enhance the function of their digestive system often turn to kefir as part of this process. Even though kefir has been around for thousands of years, it seems that there's still some mystery around it. I mean, it's just not as popular as yogurt, particularly in the US. Bubbles in kefir are a natural part of the fermentation process. To make kefir, you need to add culture to milk. Different from yogurt culture, which is strains of probiotic bacteria only, kefir is a symbiotic culture of probiotic bacteria AND yeast.  Once the culture is added, you let it ferment at room temp. The culture eats up the milk sugar (AKA lactose), creates bubbles (AKA CO2), and grows more of the culture. When you get bubbly kefir, that's a sure sign that it's fermented. It's also a sure sign that it's probiotic. After all, the more CO2, the more eating and duplicating the bacteria and yeast did. After we make it, kefir will continue to ferment. It will happen more rapidly at room temp and more slowly in the fridge. But, it's still happening. More and more bubbles are created over time. And, if that container is air tight, lots of pressure builds up within the container. If you don't open the kefir and it's super fermented, there is the potential for lots of bubbles upon opening. Here's a short video of a kefir explosion: And, here's a little story about the worst kefir explosion I've heard of. Years ago, we used to sell blueberry kefir. With that added sugary fruit in the end, the culture would really take off. A customer sent us a picture of blueberry kefir on her kitchen ceiling!! It really exploded. I wish I could have been there to help her clean it up! Open slowly or burp kefir to stop it from exploding. Not a fan of your kefir exploding? Thankfully, there's an easy solution. Open slowly. Simply crack the lid a little, and let the gas escape before opening all the way. You could even burp your kefir every day or two in the fridge to prevent it from getting too bubbly. The only way to stop kefir from fermenting and creating more bubbles is to freeze it. However, I don't recommend that.  First off, kefir tends to get clumpy when thawed.  Second, there's some probiotic loss when freezing. The longer it's frozen, the more probiotic loss. If you need to freeze kefir for later, I don't recommend freezing it for more than 3 months. You know kefir really went bad by the smell and look. When you make kefir with raw milk, it's slowly turning into kefir cheese. So when I say it goes "bad", it's really just knowing when it's too sour or pungent to palate. It's not necessarily a safety issue. Here are two things to look for: Putrid Smell: OK, kefir smells funky, even good kefir. But, especially if you've been drinking kefir for a while, you should be able to tell when it smells putrid. Like, you absolutely aren't able to consume it.Massive Separation: A little separation in kefir is normal. You will see the whey (a yellowish liquid) separate from the thicker white part. But, if it's all separated, and the white creamy part has turned into a mass of clumps, it's probably not the best to consume anymore. *Side note: I think this is why most kefir comes in a container that's NOT clear. When you make kefir with pasteurized milk, it's a different story. Since there isn't a natural community of microorganisms that are regulating themselves, it has the potential to go bad in a dangerous way. In addition to the signs listed above, here's one more thing to look for: Visible Mold: Especially green, orange, red, or black mold, which is a clear indication that the kefir is bad and should be tossed. All in all, this is really about trusting your gut and being connected to your food. How bubbly has your kefir been? Have you ever had it explode? Do you drink kefir for its yumminess or probiotic benefits? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below to share your thoughts with our community (no account required). Or, contact us to keep it private 😊

Top 3 reasons why grass fed raw milk changes in flavor and consistency.

Have you ever noticed that the flavor and consistency of our raw milk varies from week to week and especially season to season? This is 100% normal! You see, when you raise animals naturally on pasture (and especially when they're 100% grass fed like our cows and buffalos), the milk changes. This is starkly different from pasteurized milk you'd find in stores, which is usually from grain fed cows in feedlots. With that level of unnatural control, the milk can be consistent (or maybe I should call it boring). Here are the top 3 reasons grass fed raw milk varies: 1- Butterfat changes with the seasons. It's highest in the colder months. From the anecdotal experience of myself and our farmers, butterfat is highest in the spring. That's when milk is the creamiest, the most yellow, and the most flavorful (after all, fat holds the color and the flavor). That's when you get a hefty creamline in your jug of milk after sitting in the fridge for a few days. But then... I found an interesting study on this. It's from 1931, before dairy farming got seriously messed up. It tracked hundreds of cows over many years. The researchers found that butterfat and outdoor temperature have an inverse relationship. And they found that it didn't really matter when the cows give birth and the age of the cow. Fascinating! In short, the higher the temp outside, the less butterfat. The lower the temp outside, the more butterfat. Check it out: Another interesting note on the graph is they found that Jersey cows produce milk with the highest butterfat. We noticed this, too, and it's why Aaron's herds are 80% Jersey and 20% Jersey crosses. That's why our milk is so darn creamy! It does make me wonder why, anecdotally, we feel butterfat is highest in spring. Maybe it's because our cows produce the most milk in the spring and least in the winter...? We feel like we're swimming in butterfat in the spring. We make sooo much butter at that time of year. 2- Flavor changes with the feed. When the forage, the weather, and the seasons change, so does the flavor. When cows are outside on pasture, eating a diversity of plants, the flavor of the milk they produce is more robust. Mostly this is a good thing. In my opinion, our pastured milk is more flavorful and tastes better than conventional grain-fed feedlot milk. But, sometimes this can kick us in the butt. For example, when a cow finds a little patch of onion grass, that can create an odd flavor in the milk. The weather affects what the cows are grazing on, too. For example, when we're in a drought, the grass doesn't grow as voraciously. It's has less moisture and protein and isn't as fully developed. That can change the flavor of the milk.  And finally, there are, of course, the seasons. When the cows are eating fresh pasture in the warmer months, the milk will have a different flavor than when they're eating dry pasture (AKA hay) in the colder months. It's hard to predict what the final flavor will be. But, I sure do love tasting the differences in milk throughout the year! 3- How long it lasts changes with cleanliness. Clean milk lasts longer! Milk safety is a top priority here at Miller's. Our strict milk safety standards go beyond what's required for a raw milk permit in Pennsylvania. We test every batch on site for general bacteria counts. Not many raw milk farmers do that, but we sure hope more hop on board! Since we test every batch, we're able to keep a close eye on how well the team is cleaning. Even a small thing like a cat licking equipment in the barn, a tiny hairline crack somewhere, or water not being hot enough can make a big difference.  Because of our constant monitoring, we're pretty confident in saying that our milk is the cleanest around. There's no manure in our milk!  And because of this, our milk lasts longer than most. It's raw milk and will sour (no way to prevent that). But, it should last at least 2 weeks after you receive it before it becomes too sour to palate. Do you value milk consistency over naturalness? Have you noticed changes in our raw milk over time? What about milk makes it "the best" for you? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below to share your thoughts with our community (no account requred). Or, contact us to keep it private 😊 PS: Did you know that we make our fresh raw cow dairy in house? That's right. Our team does it in our creamery! Our goat and buffalo farmers make their own fresh raw dairy in house, too. ----- Sources THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERA- TURE ON THE PERCENTAGE OF BUTTER FAT IN COW'S MILK*