i got authorisation from my " Eggsland 's best " correspondant to forward
his message. he asked us to not send fed back to the company, his time being
limited.

 he is responding to the information given by somebody on the list about
birds unable to reproduce well when not having enough cholesterol.

<<I wish that cholesterol reduction were as easy as your contact indicated.
I have <experimented extensively with high flax and fish oil diets and have
not observed any <reduction in the cholesterol content of the eggs (Our
omega 3's come mostly from <canola oil -- not that it makes any difference).
Hens have a wonderful ability to <synthesize cholesterol and will keep it
right at the level needed for embryonic <development, regardless of the
diet.  Interestingly, there are a couple of studies that indicate that
supplementing the diet with vegetable oil tends to increase egg cholesterol
and supplementing with animal fat tends to reduce cholesterol (very minimal
deviation from normal).  It seems in those cases that when cholesterol is
absent in the diet, the hen overcompensates with its own cholesterol
synthesis.

I have a dual-major PhD in Wildlife Biology and Animal Science.  I have sort
of an "inner conflict" on cholesterol reduction (it also carries over to
birds being in cages, but I understand the economic necessity of that).  For
my current job, egg cholesterol reduction is a "success", but for the
wildlife biology side of me, the fact that cholesterol level is nearly
impossible to reduce is a greater success for the continued survival of the
species.  We have observed a very small reduction in egg cholesterol level
in our experimental flock from the use of a chromium yeast supplement.
Chromium supplements are used for humans, pigs, horses and cattle, I
believe, but are not yet approved for poultry, so we can't use our findings
commercially.  The results are interesting, however, and I think that the
influence of the chromium brings an improvement in overall efficency and a
reduction in stress.  Stress tends to elevate cholesterol and
stress-reduction efforts tend to make cholesterol lower.

The possibly of feeding insects to chickens is probably not practical right
now.  I read an article on future food trends in the new melenium in a food
magazine where an executive of a large food company had mentioned the
possibility of using insect protein in human food (yum yum!).  I guess if it
is a consideration for human food, it could be a possibility for poultry.

A Belgian company called Belovo has introduced a "Columbus Egg" in Europe
and the UK.  One of their claims is that their hens are fed a natural
wild-type diet.  Their literature says, "In developing the Columbus egg, our
starting point was to look at the natural diet of the Jungle Fowl, which is
the ancestor of all today's hens.  The natural diet was predictably more
varied than that fed to modern hens and includes a much wider range of seeds
and green vegetation.  Feeding the Columbus hens the same style of diet
produces eggs with all the expected nutritional benefits - rich in protein,
vitamins and minerals - with the added bonus of a perfect balance of healthy
fats in the yolk."  The Columbus egg is very high in omega-3's (Columbus 660
mg, Eggland's Best 100 mg, regular egg 35 mg).  I don't have a web address
for them, but they list several e-mail addresses ([log in to unmask],
[log in to unmask], and [log in to unmask]  I am quite sure their web
address would be www.belovo.com but I have never tried it.

I saw results of analyses of different bird eggs in a book and pheasant eggs
were considerably higher in omega-3's than commercial chicken eggs.  Wild
birds might select plants with high omega-3's.  Mice get into our research
facility sometimes and they always get into the flax seeds first.  I don't
know if they select flax because of the high total oil content of the seeds
or if it is the omega-3's.>>

i found it full of very interesting informations .
In europe they seem to want healthier food , America is more concern about
economic.
gordon wrote
<<I'm not worried about the size of the cages provided they are not
<drastically smaller than those used with ordinary chickens but I am a
little
<disturbed by the price difference. I like these eggs but they are priced at
<about $1.70 per dozen compared to the 70 cents or so that I pay for
ordinary
<eggs.>>

i think the problem with the lowering quality of our food supply is in that
economic aspect, Eggland's researcher comment about the 2 sides of him who
are in conflict ( one noting the necessity of high cholesterol level and the
other noting  the reality of the economic.
you found 1.70 us $ expensive ,i pay 3. 50 canadian dollar ( 2.45 us) for
the dozen of organic eggs and am well aware if my criterias of feeding a
original diet was met the price wil be  even higher.
i mentionned a local organic farmer who quitted egg productions even at that
price ( and they didn't have any problem to sale) because it was not worth
it unless they decide to go big scale and house the birds in a barn instead
of pasturing them in the field with the chicken tractor principle.
that is were we are at,  that lead us to the degeneration of our species.
Only the wilingness to pay the real price can change that.
I am myself living way below the poverty line but i will not compromise on
that one . If my food choices get too expensive i catch up by eating
dandelion or nettle,  free for the taking .
jean-claude
When my health is at stake i have no hesitation to pay the real value of
food