Our hen feed is a wholesome, all-vegetarian diet that contains healthy grains, canola oil, and a premium supplement of rice bran, alfalfa, sea kelp, vitamin E and more. The all-vegetarian designation ensures that our feed contains no animal fat and no animal byproducts (including fish!). We do not use recycled or processed food byproducts in our feed. We also never use hormones, steroids, or antibiotics of any kind. While hormone and steroid use is not allowed in the production of eggs, antibiotics can be used in other brands. We do not use antibiotics to produce our eggs and rely on excellent hen management to prevent hen illness and to help bring you only the very best.

Our hen feed has higher levels of vitamins, minerals, omega-3s, and other nutrients, as compared to ordinary hen feed. Not only do these increased nutrients benefit the hen in the same ways that they benefit humans, but the hen then in turn, will put extra love into her eggs! She passes the extra nutrients she receives from the diet into her egg, making the egg taste better and be better for you. In contrast, ordinary eggs are from hens that are provided with the minimum vitamins and minerals to allow the hens to be healthy and produce eggs, but do not provide for the nutritional enhancement of the egg.

Here’s a look at some of the extra quality ingredients and what they do for an EB egg and the lovely lady laying it:

Lutein: Marigold, alfalfa, and corn that are added to EB feed increase the content of lutein. Lutein is a carotenoid antioxidant pigment that is reported to be beneficial for eye and skin health and may help guard against some forms of cancer. Lutein also adds an important antioxidant to EB eggs and has also been shown to help strengthen hens’ immunity! These three components also affect the color of our yolks - making them more vibrant. EB eggs have 38% more lutein compared to ordinary eggs because of these 3 ingredients- amazing, right?!

*Fun Fact: lutein in eggs is three times more bioavailable than from spinach or dietary supplements!

Vitamin D: There are several forms of vitamin D, of which D3 is the most important for our hens. This potent vitamin is known for its importance for calcium utilization but also can be beneficial for strong immunity and overall health. Our eggs have six times more vitamin D than ordinary eggs, which is also important for muscle and bone development. The increased level of D3 in our feed is one of the factors that play a role in EB eggs having stronger eggshells, which leads to less breakage and longer-lasting eggs. 1 large EB egg provides 30% of recommended vitamin D for the day!

Vitamin E: Vitamin E helps protect the cells in the body from oxidation, and EB eggs are loaded with ten times more vitamin E than ordinary eggs! Vitamin E also helps to keep nutrients in the feed fresh, so our hens only get the best! Once she lays the delicious EB egg, the extra vitamin E then works to protect the omega-3’s from oxidizing/going rancid and producing off-flavors in the egg.

Vitamin E is an immune system enhancer that helps to fight disease. The lipids in our bloodstream only become sticky in our arteries if they oxidize and vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that helps to prevent oxidation from happening. A recent study showed that vitamin E from dietary supplements is not as utilizable by a consumer as is vitamin E from natural sources, such as EB eggs.

*Fun Fact: Results of a recent study also indicated that high levels of vitamin E in feed can significantly reduce the prevalence of organisms in meat that can cause foodborne illness--a similar positive influence is likely for eggs.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: EB eggs have more than double the omega-3’s than ordinary eggs, which helps to maintain stronger bones and promote a healthy heart! The plant-based omega-3’s in Eggland’s Best feed come from linolenic acid in the canola oil and flax seed. Here at EB, we exclude the animal fat and meat & bone meal commonly used in commercial poultry feed and replace it with an all-around better option-- canola oil. Using this higher quality oil contributes to superior flavor found in an EB egg.

Canola oil has the lowest level of saturated fat of the common vegetable oils. Using this oil in place of animal fat reduces the saturated fat in EB eggs! With our proprietary hen feed, our hens are able to produce eggs with 10 fewer calories and 25% less saturated fat than ordinary eggs.

The Eggland’s Best carton labels have historically shown a lower level of fat and calories from fat. Why you might ask? We first confirmed that our hen feed was able to provide this benefit when we sent eggs to multiple labs and had them tested using several of the various calorie tests approved by the FDA. We tested and continue to test our eggs for total fat and saturated fat in our in-house Quality Assurance Laboratory, as well as send samples to outside labs to verify our results. As a result of these tests, we are totally confident in reporting the lower calorie content, consistent with the lower levels of fat in our eggs.

*Fun Fact: Canola oil is described as having a slightly bland, nutty flavor, which is a major improvement over rendered animal fat. We choose to use canola oil because it also gives our eggs a smoother texture, and more favorable mouthfeel – plus who would want to eat that other stuff anyway?!

Vitamin B2 Riboflavin: Vitamin B2 or riboflavin helps the body utilize proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The most important function of vitamin B2 is in the metabolism of nucleic acids and proteins. It also functions in carbohydrate and fat metabolism. It plays a vital role in maintaining the body's energy supply. B2 is great for our hens because it promotes healthy growth and egg production!

Vitamin B5 Pantothenic Acid: Vitamin B5 is important for the metabolism, skin health, the nervous system, and for helping the body to process carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Vitamin B5 is one of eight water-soluble B vitamins. All B vitamins help you convert the protein, carbohydrates, and fats you eat into energy. Pantothenic acid also stimulates synthesis of antibodies, which increase resistance of our hens to pathogens; this is how we ensure they are as healthy as possible!

Vitamin B12: With more than double the B12 compared to ordinary eggs, you’ll be glad to know this vitamin helps with protein synthesis, and contributes to strong nerve and blood systems. It helps keep us energized and going throughout the day!

Sea Kelp: Sea Kelp is a source of iodine and antioxidants, which are important for lipid metabolism and oxidative stability. Eggland’s Best feed consistently contains +267% more iodine than the minimum level recommended by the egg industry’s leading supplier of chicks and publisher of hen nutrition & husbandry guidelines, widely recognized as the industry standard. Iodine has been shown to improve egg yolk membrane and shell strength, which helps keep eggs fresher over time. Also, since the hen is getting far more than the industry standard, she is able to share and put more into the EB eggs she produces. Eggland’s Best eggs have 60 mcg of iodine, while generic eggs have only 28 mcg - meaning EB eggs have 214% more iodine than ordinary eggs.

*Fun Fact: Kelp and iodine are prized components of the human diet in Japan, where these nutrients are credited with contributing to Japan having the longest life expectancy in the world. Some of the health benefits associated with iodine-enriched eggs in Japan are: improving cholesterol balance and blood glucose levels, helping to control allergies, breast cancer prevention, and anti-aging.

Calcium and Phosphorous: These are supplemented in the Biotene, and they come from mineral deposits in the ground. They are beneficial to the bird and egg production. Most of the calcium in our hens’ feed comes from coarse and fine ground limestone (calcium carbonate). The phosphorus comes from dicalcium phosphate or mono calcium phosphate, which also supplies some calcium. Together these two work to ensure our eggs have superior shell strength/thickness – which, in turn, helps to keep EB eggs stay fresh longer.

Rice Bran: Rice Bran contains phytosterols that are reported help to lower cholesterol levels. When we eat more cholesterol, our bodies make less. Phytosterols are similar enough to cholesterol that consuming them makes our bodies think we’re eating cholesterol even though it is a plant form. This tricks our bodies into producing less cholesterol. The same principle can be effective for hens and egg cholesterol, which is why it is included in our feed.

We take our feed seriously, as it’s the foundation of health for our hens, and it’s what helps us provide the best eggs for you. Simply put, because our hen diet is superior, Eggland’s Best hens lay nutritionally superior eggs.

If you’d like to learn even more about our feed, please visit our web page https://www.egglandsbest.com/superior-nutrition/superior-feed.