It might make a larger omelette but a bigger egg isn't necessarily a better one — and it certainly doesn't make the hen that laid it very happy.

That is the view of the chairman of the British Free Range Producers' Association, who says that if you want to be kind to hens, you should eat medium, not large or very large, eggs.

“It can be painful to the hen to lay a larger egg,” Tom Vesey, who keeps 16,000 hens on 45 acres at Dingestow, Monmouth, told The Times. “There is also the stress, which is a big problem as it takes more out of hens to lay large eggs. It would be kinder to eat smaller eggs. Whenever I go to the Continent people eat medium-sized eggs yet here the housewife seems to be wedded to large eggs.”

He also suggests people would do better eating a breakfast of two medium-sized eggs rather than one large one. “I prefer medium eggs,” he said， “They taste better, are less watery and don't run off the plate.”

Mr Vesey, who says he is determined to change egg-shopping habits, insists that farmers only produce large eggs because they receive more for them from supermarkets. The average price for 12 free-range eggs paid to a farmer is 77p for medium, ?1 for large and just over ?1 for very large.

Mr Vesey has been criticised by industry chiefs for raising the issue in The Grocer but animal welfare experts say his argument is valid. Phil Brooke, of Compassion in World Farming, said: “Selectively breeding hens for high productivity, whether larger eggs or larger numbers of eggs, can cause a range of problems such as osteoporosis, bone breakage and prolapse. We need to breed and feed hens so that they can produce eggs without risk to their health or welfare.”

Christine Nicol, Professor of Animal Welfare at the University of Bristol, said: “There is no strong published evidence of pain in egg-laying hens but it's not unreasonable to think there may be a mismatch in the size of birds and the eggs they produce. We do often spot bloodstains on large eggs. As a personal decision I would never buy jumbo eggs.”

Prices for very large eggs have decreased slightly over the past year, something Mr Vesey believes may make farmers think again about their production. He would like to see higher prices paid for medium eggs to encourage production. There is little consumer demand for small eggs, which weigh less than 53g and are mostly used in processed food.

He thinks by changing the protein element of poultry feed it is possible for farmers to slow down the process of egg production so that hens can lay smaller eggs. He also suggests that farmers will make more profit from producing medium eggs because there will be fewer breakages. The volume of egg shell is the same on a medium as on a large or very large egg. Thin shells mean more cracked eggs.

Mark Williams, head of the British Egg Industry Council, said shoppers mostly opted for large eggs, thinking they offered better value for money. “But it is possible consumers could be switched off from buying large overnight,” he said.

Alan Pearson, spokesman for the British Poultry Veterinary Association, said: “Frankly I think there are bigger welfare issues that people have in their minds, such as hens in cages. The size of an egg rarely causes problems for the bird.”

Lindsey Bareham, The Times cook, said: “I have no doubt that the diet of the chicken is what affects the flavour of its eggs, not the size. If eggs from organic, free-range chickens aren't available, I'd rather go without.”

用一个大鸡蛋做的煎蛋卷也许更大，但大鸡蛋并不一定比小鸡蛋更好——产下大个鸡蛋的母鸡肯定闷闷不乐。

英国家禽放养者协会的主席就是这么想的，他说如果你想善待母鸡，那就应该吃中号的鸡蛋，而不是大号甚至特大号鸡蛋。

Tom Vesey在蒙茅斯的丁格斯托有一家占地45英亩的养鸡场，共蓄养了16000只母鸡。他告诉《泰晤士报》记者：“对于母鸡来说，产下一个大个的鸡蛋可能会是一件痛苦的事情。母鸡还要面对产蛋的紧张情绪。这也是一个大问题，因为要下大个的蛋，母鸡的付出也更多。还是吃小点的鸡蛋吧，那样更人道。欧洲大陆上的人们都吃中号的鸡蛋，而英国的家庭主妇们似乎对大号的鸡蛋情有独钟。”

Vesey先生还说，人们早餐时候吃两个中号鸡蛋而不是一个大鸡蛋实际上更有好处。“我喜欢中号鸡蛋，”他说，“中号鸡蛋味道更好，水分更少，而且不会从盘子中滑出去。”

Vesey先生说他决心改变人们买鸡蛋的习惯。他认为，农民生产大个的鸡蛋是为了多赚钱。根据市面上一打鸡蛋的平均价格，每卖出一个中号鸡蛋，农民能获得77便士，而卖出一个大号鸡蛋能赚一英镑，卖出一个特大号鸡蛋的收入则能超过一英镑。

鸡蛋产业领袖批评Vesey先生在《杂货商》杂志中提出鸡蛋个头的问题是小题大作，但动物权利专家认为Vesey先生的观点有道理。世界农场动物福利协会的Phil Brooke说：“无论是为了得到更大的蛋还是更多的蛋，有意促进母鸡生产能力的做法都会造成诸如骨质疏松、骨折和脱臼等一系列问题。我们在养殖母鸡的过程中不应该损害它们的健康或者福利。

Christine Nicol教授是布里斯托大学动物福利专家。他说：“虽然没有任何有说服力的资料证明产蛋过程会为母鸡带来痛苦，但我们的确应该考虑一下让母鸡产大个的鸡蛋是不是‘强鸡所难’。人们在大鸡蛋上常常可以看到血丝。从我个人来讲，我是不会买超大号鸡蛋的。”

过去一年中，大号鸡蛋的价格稍稍下降了一些。Vesey先生相信这可以让农民们重新思考一下他们应该生产什么样的鸡蛋。他希望能够提高中号鸡蛋的收购价格以鼓励生产。消费者对53克以下的小个鸡蛋需求量并不大，这种鸡蛋一般用于食品加工。

Vesey先生认为，可以通过改变鸡饲料的蛋白质成分减缓产蛋过程，从而让鸡蛋小一些。他还提出，中号的鸡蛋可以给农民带来更多收益，因为不会有那么多蛋碎掉。无论是中号的鸡蛋还是大号或者特大号的鸡蛋，蛋壳的容量都是相同的。而蛋壳薄的大鸡蛋也更容易破。

英国蛋产业协会的主席Mark Williams说，多数消费者选择大鸡蛋是因为他们觉得大鸡蛋性价比高。“但消费者也可能一夜之间就不买大鸡蛋了，”他说。

英国家禽医学会的发言人Alan Pearson说：“坦诚地讲，我认为还有许多更值得人们关注的动物权利问题，比如被困在狭窄铁笼里的母鸡。蛋的大小对禽类来说几乎不算什么问题。”

《泰晤士报》大厨Lindsey Bareham说：“毫无疑问，鸡蛋的味道是由母鸡的饮食决定的，而不是蛋的大小。如果没有吃有机饲料的放养母鸡下的蛋，我宁可不吃。”