Surprise: "pasture-raised" eggs still run on corn and soy
Despite the perception that pasture-raised eggs come from chickens fed entirely on grass and insects, these hens still rely heavily on corn and soy-based feed to meet their nutritional needs. Chickens' high metabolic rates and protein requirements make it impractical to sustain them on forage alone, especially at scale. The controversy reflects a gap between consumer expectations and the biological and economic realities of egg production.
- ▪Chickens are omnivorous with high metabolic rates, requiring calorie-dense, nutrient-rich diets to maintain health and egg production.
- ▪Grass and insects alone cannot consistently provide the necessary protein, calories, and minerals like calcium for laying hens.
- ▪Without supplemental feed, hens risk malnutrition, reduced egg output, and increased vulnerability to disease.
- ▪The term 'pasture-raised' does not mean chickens are exclusively fed on pasture; most still depend on corn and soy-based feed.
- ▪Consumer surprise over feed content stems more from label expectations than from deceptive farming practices.
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Surprise: "pasture-raised" eggs still run on corn and soy Jason Weisberger 12:31 pm Fri May 1, 2026 Marc Andressen (Suradech Prapairat/shutterstock.com) A viral "egg scandal" making the rounds online isn't exposing hidden deception so much as colliding head-on with an uncomfortable reality: even premium, pasture-raised eggs are still largely products of a corn and soy-dominated food system. Chickens are not cows. They are omnivorous, monogastric animals, meaning they have a single stomach and cannot convert grass into energy the way ruminants like cattle can. Chickens also have very fast metabolisms and a high core body temperature. Anyone who has raised chickens knows this well: they poop a lot. That's a sign of rapid digestion and a high metabolism.
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