Does organic, free range chicken lead a more normal, content life?

Question

I am lacto-ovo vegetarian (eat eggs & dairy).

I want to know if free range, organic chickens for eggs have a more normal, content life. Are they laying eggs for us their whole life? Will they get kill some point in their life for their meat?

I hope animals lovers answer my question. Or those that know about farming. No joke please.

Because I eat an egg everyday and wonder how the chicken are treated. Or do I have to give up eggs, also.

Answer 1

Although I cannot tell you how the mass producers of so-called "free-range" chickens treat their animals on a daily basis, I can tell you that you do have alternatives to mass produced eggs.

I buy my eggs from a local farmer - even though I live in the city.  They are a "hobby farm" family, and they work in town - so I am able to make arrangements to pick the eggs up closer to home.  I have been out to the farm and have seen how the chickens live (large yard; coming and going from the henhouse as they please; eating not only commercially bought grain but also vegetable scraps.  I am able to buy these eggs with a clear conscience.  

I am sure that you can find something similar in your area - look for your local farmers market or organic growers association.  Make inquiries - it is a bit more leg work, but well worth the effort to support our local growers and farmers and being able to eat your meal with a clear conscience.

Answer 2

Hey.

"Free Range" often conjures up idyllic images of hens scratching in the farmyard. The reality is often very different. They are often kept in "Barn"-type houses in flocks of up to 16,000 in large sheds. They are often debeaked. The birds must have access to the outdoor range area, which can be stocked at a maximum of 2,500 birds per hectare of land available to the hens. However, in large-scale free range units, often less than 50% of the birds regularly go outside. As with all commercial laying hens, after usually a year of egg production they are slaughtered.

I used to be a vegetarian, but after about a year, i went vegan due to the fact that "free range" eggs and milk just isnt what it seems. Its really up to you if you give up eggs, i personally think you should, but thats just my opinion. I hope you make the right descion on it.

More information here - http://www.vegansociety.com/animals/expl...

Hope this helps.

Good luck.

Answer 3

There is no inspection system for companies that label their eggs “free-range.”

The popular myth that “free-range” egg-laying hens enjoy fresh grass, bask in the sunlight, scratch the earth, sit on their nests, and engage in other natural habits is often just that: a myth. In many commercial “free-range” egg farms, hens are crowded inside windowless sheds with little more than a single, narrow exit leading to an enclosure, too small to accommodate all of the birds at once.

Both battery cage and “free-range” egg hatcheries kill all male chicks shortly after birth. Since male chicks cannot lay eggs and are different breeds than those chickens raised for meat, they are of no use to the egg industry. Standard killing methods, even among “free-range” producers, include grinding male chicks alive or throwing them into trash bags and leaving them to suffocate.

Whether kept in sheds or cages, laying hens—who can naturally live more than ten years—are considered “spent” when they are just one or two years old and their productivity wanes. Rather than being retired, “free-range” hens are slaughtered to make room for another shed of birds.

With no federal regulations overseeing the use of animal welfare claims on egg cartons, misleading or exaggerated claims are rampant. Consumers may be deceived by phrases such as “animal-friendly” or “naturally-raised,” which can be found on cartons of eggs from caged hens. Read about COK’s truth in labeling campaign urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require the full disclosure of production methods on eggs cartons sold nationwide.

Answer 4

If I were Level 2, Piscespets would have gotten a huge thumbs up. Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to say.

Answer 5

That's a good question and Piscespets gave a fantastic answer.

I just want to add that I know a woman who used to be an organic, free-range egg farmer. She said that any hen's egg production declines dramatically at 15 months. It wouldn't be economically feasible to allow animals to "retire" because it would cost too much to feed them and take care of them until their natural deaths. So all commercially-raised egg-laying hens (including those on free range farms) are slaughtered when their production rates decline. Also, male chicks are useless to the egg industry since they don't produce eggs. They're often thrown into grinders while still alive or suffocated in trash bags.

Free-range farming is usually less cruel than factory farming, but neither are truly humane. Eating fewer or no eggs would help to reduce a lot of suffering.  

More info on "free range":

http://www.peacefulprairie.org/freerange...

http://www.goveg.com/organic_eggs.asp

Cooking without eggs

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/w...

Answer 6

in our country in the Philippines, free range chicken are also sold in the market. they are considered the organic chicken as compared to the one that are sold in the supermarket where you buy chicken that are already dressed and ready to cook.

Organic chicken are healthier because they are not injected with estrogen that will make them grow fast, they grow naturally. so the answer is Yes, organic chicken are also killed for their meat because of their health benefits. and its a fact that free range chicken are healthier to eat.

Answer 7

they are properly taken care but it is doubtful that they are not killed for people who like organic chikens