Here at Outward Bound Costa Rica, we are always in search of tasty foods to cook and consume. Perhaps it’s the remoteness of the base or some other external factor, but whatever it is, eating is a serious business. Because of this, many feel that the finest ingredients are needed to make the best food we can. Thus when it comes to eggs (the staple of any meal), we demand the finest, and receive it as well.

Behold the famed chickens of Outward Bound Costa Rica. These eating machines consume all the excess food scraps this base produces, including old rice, veggies and fruit. In turn for this ravenous consumption, they produce eggs, sometimes twice a day. These delicious eggs are included in a variety of dishes (both student and staff) and add the extra protein that is often so sought after. One of the best parts of having a chicken coop on base is the fact that the eggs we get are free range eggs, laid by what have to be some very happy chickens.

The topic of the benefits for using free range eggs were recently spoken about in an article for the local English speaking news source, the Tico Times. The article speaks about how the locals can utilize the benefits of free range eggs as well as buy a local, more humane products while simultaneously consuming a superior product. In addition to them being generally agreed upon to be a lot tastier, we find the eggs also have a much brighter color and can even tend to be bigger and more numerous. If chickens are cramped and literally stressed out, the eggs produced daily will simply not be as high quality as when the chickens are able to walk around and roam. It’s for the benefit and well being of the chickens, as well as the increase in number and quality of the eggs, that we keep our chickens moving around and well fed. The fact that the eggs taste a whole lot better doesn’t hurt either.