How Free Is a Free-range Chicken?

BirdNote^®

How Free Is a Free-range Chicken?

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote.

Chickens are awake and ready to go well before dawn...
 
[rooster crowing]
 
… and they start foraging at the first glimmer of morning light. They are laying eggs while you are still sipping your morning coffee.
 
(chickens clucking)

But what exactly is a “free-range” chicken? Next time you’re at the grocery store, take a look at the labels. According to the USDA, which regulates food labeling, “free-range” or “free roaming” chickens need only be allowed some kind of access to the outside. That could mean all-day access to a lush pasture... or a tiny enclosure behind a door open for just a few minutes a day.

What if the label says “humanely raised”? It turns out, the standards behind that labeling can also vary quite a lot.

So if you wish to eat truly free-range chickens or eggs, how do you know what to look for?
 
Chickens raised for meat or eggs — that spend their days outside pecking for bugs, grubs, and fresh green vegetation — are best known as pastured poultry.
 
Look for labels that show the chicken was pasture raised or “Animal Welfare Approved.” If you can, buy from a local farmer. Or, if you have a big back yard, maybe even try raising your own chickens at home!

(chickens clucking)

Your decisions at the grocery store can really make a difference – for local farmers and chickens alike.

For BirdNote, I’m Mary McCann.

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BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Managing Producer: Jason Saul
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
© 2018 Tune In to Nature.org  November 2018  Narrator: Mary McCann
 
ID# chicken-02-2018-11-14         chicken-02

Pasture raised labeling
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/benefits-freerange-chicken-79307.html

What is a “real” free-range chicken?
http://smithmeadows.com/farm/what-is-free-range-chicken/