Pasture-Raised Eggs: What They Really Mean (and Whether They’re Actually Better)

Are pasture-raised eggs better?

Before we begin, it’s important to remember: labels give us claims, but knowing your farmer gives you answers.

Somewhere along the way, we started putting more trust in packaging than in where our food actually comes from.

And eggs are one of the clearest examples of this problem.

Don’t get me wrong: all eggs contain valuable nutrients, including choline, B vitamins, selenium, and protein. Eggs have fed humans for thousands of years and remain one of the most nutrient-dense foods available.

But it is also true that not all eggs are created equal, and most store-bought labels don’t tell the full story.

Some eggs provide healthier fats and more bioavailable nutrients.

Others quietly deliver the same types of fats found in industrial seed oils, even when the pasture-raised carton looks “healthy.”

So let’s slow down and unpack what pasture-raised eggs actually are, what the labels mean, and how to tell whether they’re really better, coming from an egg farmer herself!

Eggs Have Become a Commodity

For most of human history, eggs came from chickens raised close to home. You knew how they lived, what they ate, and who cared for them.

Today, eggs are largely treated as a commodity: mass-produced, anonymous, optimized for efficiency instead of nutrient density.

That shift matters.

Because the way a chicken lives, and especially what the chicken eats, directly determines the nutrition of the egg.

Yet most egg cartons reduce all of that complexity to a single word.

> Cage-free.

> Free-range.

> Pasture-raised.

They sound reassuring. But they don’t always mean what you think.

What Do “Cage-Free” and “Free-Range” Eggs Really Mean?

“Cage-free” simply means the hens aren’t confined to small wire cages.

That’s an improvement, and yes, it’s better than cages where a chicken barely moves her entire life.

But cage-free hens typically still live indoors, in large barns with thousands of birds, crowded together on litter-covered floors.

Their feed?

The same standard industrial mix: corn, soy, and byproducts.

“Free-range” usually means the birds technically have access to the outdoors.

In practice, this often looks like:

• a large indoor barn
• small doors leading outside
• no guarantee the birds actually go out

Feed remains the same industrial corn- and soy-based ration. Often GMO and laced with glyphosate.

These systems improve optics more than nutrition.

What Are Pasture-Raised Eggs?

At its best, pasture-raised means chickens spend time outdoors on grass, with access to sunlight, forage, insects, and soil.

This can make a real difference.

When chickens are truly on pasture:

• They consume fresh greens rich in Vitamin K1, which they convert to Vitamin K2 (important for bone and cardiovascular health)
• Sun exposure supports Vitamin D synthesis, increasing Vit D levels in the egg
• Diverse forage contributes additional minerals and polyphenols

• Eggs often have an improved nutrient density

So yes, pasture access is a step in the right direction.

But here’s the catch.

The Big Problem With “Pasture-Raised” Eggs

The USDA does not formally regulate the term “pasture-raised” for eggs.

Unlike “cage-free” or “free-range,” pasture-raised remains largely unregulated unless independently certified.

That means:

• Anyone can use the term
• Standards vary wildly
• The label alone tells you very little

The Reality of Many “Pasture-Raised” Systems

Many large pasture-raised operations look like this:

• stationary barns holding 20,000+ hens
• small doors to a fixed outdoor area
• doors closed for part of the day
• birds spending most of their time indoors inside large factory buildings requiring chemical pest control
• pasture that can become overgrazed, muddy, or parasite-prone
• heavy reliance on pharmaceuticals to manage disease
• the same corn- and soy-based feed as conventional systems

Because it's important to remember that even truly pasture-raised chickens cannot be 100% grass-fed. Chickens are mono gastric animals and require a supplemental feed.

Which brings us to the most important point of all...

What a Chicken Eats… Matters More Than the Label

Even if a chicken is pasture-raised...

70–90% of its calories still come from feed.

And the fats in that feed become the fats in the egg that you then consume.

Most pasture-raised hens are fed diets high in:

• corn
• soy
• distiller grains
• industrial byproducts

Because farmers buy off the shelf conventional feed.

These feeds are high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), the same unstable fats found in seed oils.

As a result: most pasture-raised eggs still contain high levels of omega-6 PUFAs.

So while pasture access can improve vitamin content, fat composition is still largely determined by feed.

And fat composition of the egg matters.

Properly produced corn- and soy-free eggs provide numerous benefits: 

> Lower PUFA Content
The fats a chicken eats become the fats in the egg. Diets high in corn, soy, soybean oil, and distiller grains are rich in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), and those PUFAs are directly transferred into the egg yolk, and eventually into the person eating it. In fact, testing has shown that some conventional eggs can contain a PUFA load comparable to a tablespoon of canola oil. Removing high-PUFA ingredients from feed significantly lowers this burden.

> Greater Oxidative Stability
PUFAs are chemically unstable due to their multiple double bonds. When exposed to heat, light, or oxygen (such as during cooking!) they oxidize more easily, forming compounds like lipid peroxides and malondialdehyde (MDA). Eggs lower in PUFA are more stable during cooking, resulting in fewer oxidative byproducts.

> Easier Digestion
Soy proteins and corn residues can pass from the feed, through the chicken, and into eggs, both common allergens.

So if you’re avoiding seed oils but still eating eggs from chickens fed soy, corn, and industrial fats… you may be unintentionally refilling the same PUFA bucket.

This is where most “pasture-raised” eggs fall short.

And why it's important to know what pasture-raised chickens are eating.

Going Beyond the Label: What's Better Than 'Pasture-Raised'?

At Angel Acres Egg Club, we do two things fundamentally differently, because how chickens live and what chickens eat changes the egg.

1. Mobile Pasture-Raised Systems

Mobile pasture-raised takes pasture access a step further. And many small regenerative farms throughout the country implement this style of farming!

Instead of stationary barns, our hens live in mobile coops that are moved regularly to fresh grass.

This means:

• constant access to clean pasture
• evenly distributed manure that regenerates soil health
• lower parasite pressure
• cleaner living conditions
• smaller flock sizes
• healthier birds
• no need for routine pharmaceuticals or drugs

Chickens get to truly roam, scratch, peck, and behave like chickens: in a low-stress environment that supports strong immune systems naturally.

This approach requires significantly more labor:

• coops must be moved
• feed and water must be mobile
• land must be managed carefully

But it produces healthier birds and healthier ecosystems.

During winter months, when movement isn’t possible, our partner farms use the deep litter method and proper air flow, building natural compost bedding that reduces ammonia, provides warmth and is later spread out on pasture as compost to regenerate soil health. The birds still forage outdoors when possible and receive hay for nutrients like Vitamin K1.

2. Custom-Formulated Low-PUFA Feed

Pasture alone isn’t enough.

And this is what really sets Angel Acres Egg Club apart (since most small regenerative farmers still buy off the shelf standard feed. And remember, feed makes up 70-90% of a pasture-raised hen's diet!)

We carefully formulate a custom chicken feed that is designed to be low in PUFAs to support your metabolic health (not just meet marketing trends). 

Our feed is

• corn-free
• soy-free
• flax-free
• glyphosate-free
• produced by our regenerative row crop farmers, truly 'seed to fork'
• designed to be low in PUFA

Because chickens can’t be grass-fed, the feed determines the egg fatty acid quality.

Thanks to this approach, Angel Acres eggs contain 73% less linoleic acid (omega-6 PUFA) than the nation’s leading pasture-raised brand.

The result is an egg with:

• a healthier fatty acid profile
• improved oxidative stability during cooking
• better support for metabolism and hormonal balance
• higher levels of micronutrients
• better taste! 

These are eggs much closer to what our great-great-grandparents ate: before industrial feed reshaped the food system.

So… Are Pasture-Raised Eggs Better?

Sometimes. But not always.

Pasture-raised eggs can be better than conventional eggs if the birds truly spend time on pasture, the land is managed responsibly, the feed is clean and thoughtfully formulated.

But pasture-raised alone does not guarantee:

• low PUFA content (since most still eat corn byproducts and/or soy)
• clean feed (many are fed GMO corn and soy)
• healthy fat composition
  
  

The Bottom Line

Egg labels give us claims.

Farming practices give us truth.

Factory farms are not designed to produce the most nourishing eggs possible.

At Angel Acres, we chose a harder path:

• mobile pasture systems
• regenerative land management
• custom low-PUFA feed
• smaller flocks
• farm cooperative of small farms
• more labor

• fewer shortcuts

Because food should nourish us, not quietly undermine our health.

>> Shop Now and Egg-sperience The Angel Acres Difference