Each large egg contains around 6 grams of protein; Jumbo eggs are about 8 grams of protein. Eggs are considered a complete protein, meaning they contain each of the nine amino acids.

Eggshell color is all about the ears! Or, earlobes. Egg shell color is determined by the breed of hen and is often related to the color of the feathers over the hen’s earlobes. Brown hens, like those on our farms, typically lay brown eggs, and white chickens lay white eggs (although there are a few breeds of white chickens with brown ear feathers that lay brown eggs). However, it's important to note that shell color has nothing to do with the nutritional content or quality of an egg.

While free-range has many benefits, we’ve also found that it leads to more variability in yolk color due to different grazing habits, preferences from hen to hen, and flock age. As hens age, their grazing habits and feed composition will change based on their needs, and we tend to see lighter yellow yolks in their eggs. However, despite any differences in appearance or taste, these eggs still have the same nutritional value as eggs from any other family farm in our network.

Double yolk eggs primarily come from younger flocks who are just learning how to lay eggs. Double yolks are relatively rare (about 1/1000) and tend to be very large; due to their size, these eggs are typically graded as 'Super Jumbo'. These larger eggs are packaged together as Jumbos (even though they are technically Super Jumbos), so if you’re buying Jumbos, it is likely that you’ll have more than one double yolk egg!

The small dark speckles you see on the outside of your eggshell are calcium deposits; they are very normal and quite common to see. These spots simply show that the hen deposited extra calcium when forming the shell and do not change the quality or nutrition of the egg.

Per USDA regulations and food safety requirements, our eggs are washed and sanitized using organic certified detergents and sanitizing methods approved for contact with the eggshell.  After washing, our eggs pass through a vision system that detects and removes any eggs with remaining dirt or feathers present on the surface. Finally, our QA team monitors the process and our finished eggs to identify areas for improvement.

We do monitor for cracks, and typically our cartons protect the eggs from breakage pretty well, but it can be difficult to keep track of the exact care the eggs are kept in once they are shipped to the store. To err on the side of caution, we would not recommend eating any of the cracked eggs; once an egg has cracked, it becomes vulnerable to bacteria.

If you notice a small spot floating around your egg, it is likely a meat spot or blood spot which can vary in size from tiny specks to a few millimeters in diameter. Most times, it can be cut out with the tip of a knife, and the egg is still perfectly fine to eat.

From time to time, the incidence of blood spots in eggs increases above the normal 6% rate when the hens in a flock get excited by changes in lighting or temperature. Meat spots are typically laid by older laying hens, and candling methods reveal most eggs with meat spots, but due to shell density, color, contrast, and depth, some of these eggs do get through.

Unfortunately, we cannot recommend that you eat our eggs after the date printed on the packaging. In general, we put a “use by” date on our cartons, which means that the eggs should be consumed on or before that date. Use of a “sell by” date is not federally required but may be required by certain states, so if your carton does specify “sell by” near the printed date, then the eggs can be consumed within 15 days of that date. 

The use by date is printed on the short side of our cartons in black ink. Most of our cartons do not include a year, so do not be alarmed if you only see the month and date!