Ask an Egg Farmer: Alberta Egg Industry

Most small and pee-wee eggs get eaten at home by the farmer’s family, or else they are sent to the egg processor.

There is definitely a lot more involved with raising hens than most people realize.  Egg farmers have to maximize animal care and hen health, manage their barn to ensure that Canada’s world-class food quality & safety standards are maintained, and worry about minimizing their environmental footprint.  Albertans living in rural areas are allowed to raise up to 300 hens and we do have resources available!  Check our website for more information about our Youth Development Program and New Entrant Program!

On average, a hen lays about 300 eggs per year.

All eggs sold at retail are washed and sanitized at grading stations that have been certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Eggs also have a protective layer that your washing could remove. Since you’ll likely be cracking the eggs or boiling them in the shell, washing them seems unnecessary, but it’s certainly not wrong to do so. Click here to find out more about grading stations.

Alberta egg farmers are free to raise their hens in a variety of hen housing systems, which includes conventional housing, furnished housing, free-run housing and free-range housing.  In 2013, EFA adopted a policy which states that “no new conventional or enrichable cage systems will be allowed to be installed in Alberta after December 31, 2014”.  About 85% of Alberta eggs currently come from hens raised in conventional housing, a number that continues to decline.