Interested
in ordering
Pork or Eggs
in ordering
Pork or Eggs
Pork orders: makingbacon@eatfreerange.ca
or Call: 604-848-5304
Free Range Eggs
Rojo Pez Ranch offers both free range chicken and duck eggs.
Our chickens are raised in an open enclosure with an adjacent coop. They are free to enter or leave the coop
at will, but like to put themselves to bed just as the sun sets. They are provided with indoor perches for sleeping,
and a variety of straw padded nest boxes in which to lay their eggs. Although their enclosure gives them more
than enough room to run about, forage and dust bathe, we frequently allow them out to roam the yard (weather permitting).
Our ducks are raised much the same way. They spend most of their days searching for slugs, probing mud
puddles, eating grass, or swimming in their personal bathtub.
Our birds’ diet is regularly supplemented with greens and fruit. We provide daily scratch (cracked grain and
seeds) for the chickens to forage, as well as whatever grass, slugs and worms they can find in the yard.
Aren’t all free range chickens raised this way?
‘Free Range’ isn’t a legally enforced term, and it can be misleading.
Battery raised chickens refers to chickens that are raised in small wire cages with uncomfortable flooring
and no outlet for essential behavioural needs like scratching, foraging or dust bathing. Eggs from source
than don’t identify how the birds were raised, come from battery raised chickens that lead miserable lives.
Free Range birds spend at least part of their lives free roaming, but not necessarily outside – they may only
be allowed to walk about the barn floor and still spend their entire lives without ever experiencing direct
sunlight. Their conditions may well be crowded with unnatural flooring and poor ventilation.
Chickens from certified organic farms lead better lives. If there is not a local hobby farm egg producer near
where you live, we encourage you to buy certified organic chicken products
How do Rojo Pez eggs differ?
Aside from tasting way better than grocery eggs (ask any of our customers), they are also more nutritious. Research
has shown that eggs from truly free range outdoor chickens have seven times more beta carotene, double the levels
of omega-3 fatty acids, 2/3 more vitamin A, 1/3 less cholesterol and 1/4 less saturated fat when compared to factory
farmed eggs (http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx).
Duck eggs differ from chicken eggs in that they are larger and contain more protein. This results in a thicker
egg white, a quality that bakers covet. The taste is similar.
Our yokes are darker than the yokes of most grocery store eggs; this is a reflection of our nutrition program.
Within a given carton, there may be a mix of large and small eggs. Not every egg will be the same shape. Because
most consumers like consistently, large scale egg producers sort their eggs into various sizes, and divert ones with
an unusual shape.
You may notice that some of our eggs are the largest you have ever seen. As chickens get older, they lay fewer but larger
eggs. Intensive farming producers cull their chickens once they are no longer achieving peak performance, but because
we allow our chickens to live through retirement, they occasionally produce whopping big eggs.
Our eggs are much fresher than those in the grocery store (which are often three weeks old before they ever reach the shelf).
Consequently, when you boil them, the shell does not peel as cleanly. This can be ameliorated by cracking the egg
slightly before boiling, just enough to allow a small amount of water to penetrate beneath the shell.
HOW TO ORDER
At this time, we have more customers than eggs.
We charge $5.50/dozen
for chicken eggs and $6.50/dozen for duck eggs. We often sell duck eggs by the ½ dozen because we can’t fit a full dozen into a standard egg carton.
Because the demand is so high, our eggs are only available at the farm gate (for those that live in the area) or at David’s work Coast Mountain Veterinary Services in Whistler BC). Depending on availability, you may need to first sign our
waiting list and then be called when your eggs become
available.
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