How free is free range?

Question

I'm a vegetarian, thinking of becoming a vegan and I'm wondering, what kind of conditions are free-range egg producing chickens kept in? Does anyone know?

Answer 1

Sweetie, it depens on the farm. Your better off getting your eggs locally, where you can see how well the animals are cared for. The best way is to keep 3 or 4 hens yourself. Then you can be sure then are well cared for.

Answer 2

Free range has no legal definition whatsoever.  It is not an assurance that a hen was uncaged, it is not an assurance that a hen had access to the outdoors and it is not an assurance that the hen's living conditions are any better than any battery caged bird.  It also is not an assurance that her male chicks weren't ground up alive or that she herself was not slaughtered for nuggets or dog food.  It's just so much greenwashing.

Answer 3

Not at all as the rest of the answers will tell you, free range isn't even a myth, it's a lie! I'm sure I read somewhere that free range chickens, on average have less space per square meter, than regular caged chickens.

Answer 4

Hey.

I think you should become a vegan.

'Free Range' birds are often kept in 'barn'-type houses, in flocks of up to 16,000 per shed. They are often debeaked. The birds must have some access to the outdoors, but can be stocked with up to 2,500 birds per hectare of land. In large 'free range' units, fewer than half of the birds may regularly go outside. Commercial laying hens are liable to slaughter after year of egg production.

Even if it were possible to produce cruelty-free eggs, all of the associated harmful effects on human health and the environment would remain.

http://www.meat.org/ - This video shows you more about this.

If you decide to become a vegan, this site will help you out alot, it has loads of information on what vegans can eat, lifestyles, recipes and loads more - http://www.vegansociety.com/home.php

Hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 5

You might be surprised as to the actual meaning of "free range"...

Here is a quote from the website: http://www.antiaginglifeextension.com/he...

"Free-range, as defined by the USDA, allows labels that imply, and the producers very much want you to believe, that the bird spent its days freely roaming the countryside eating healthy food.

This is far from the truth!

What they don’t tell you is that this labeling legally means the bird was given access to the outside for as little as five minutes each day, and not that it actually did go out. Nowhere does the USDA demand that they feed so called “Free-Range” hens hormone or anti-biotic free healthy food. "

Answer 6

If you're concerned about living conditions, try your local farmer's market (I hope to be participating in mine next summer) as most of them are small family run farms who actually do keep their chickens penned at night and roam in the day. There are also some commercial free range farms where the farmers are as concerned for the chickens welfare as you are, do some research to find them and if that still doesn't satisfy you, go vegan. My layers and my meat chickens are both treated like pets and when it comes time to butcher, it is done quickly and w/out much pain (there are still people who eat meat but don't want their animals to suffer unduly)

Edit: I realize this is the vegetarian and vegan section but it seems to be predominantly vegan in the thumbs down area......remember lacto ovo vegetarians anyone? They still exist and not every vegetarian believes that eggs and dairy are evil.

Answer 7

"Free Range" chickens can be called free-range even if they have never been outside in their entire lives.  They can be called "free-range" legally if a small door is left open for part of the day (legally I think it must be open for one hour a day.)  The chickens don't know how to get out of the door as they've never been shown so they rarely venture out. They are not confined in battery cages but they are kept in miniscule quarters tightly with other chickens.

How free is free range?  Look no further: http://www.cok.net/lit/freerange.php

Answer 8

apparently they run around outside in the wide open space. and sleep in a chicken shed thingy but there not clossed in together they have room to walk around a bit.

Answer 9

they're not kept in any better conditions than normal egg producing chickens are. Here's a section of an article I found about it. hope it explains everything!

Are free-range eggs and dairy products OK to eat?

Most consumers believe "free-range" hens and cows live happily and peacefully until they are slaughtered. But no laws or standards regulate the use of terms like "free-range" and "free-roaming." In fact, common cruel industry practices used in factory farms, such as debeaking, forced molting, and literally throwing away male chicks at birth, also take place at many "free-range" farms. Of course, all the animals are slaughtered whenever it is deemed most profitable.

From the "free-range" hen who smells fresh air for the first time on the way to the slaughterhouse to the "humanely raised" dairy cow whose male baby is taken away from her at birth and sold to veal farmers, all animals raised for food suffer and are exploited. Even small, family-run dairy farms often have no choice but to send their older cows to slaughter and their newborn males to veal farms. For these reasons, we believe the only humane option is to refrain from eating eggs, milk, and meat.

Answer 10

ALL spent egg laying hens, (free range or not) are still slaughtered eventually, which is why I don't eat eggs.

The Egg industry does not require male chicks, so males are selected and killed. Just like dairy products, the nutrients in eggs can be found in plant based sources.

The only 'ethical' eggs are from chickens you raise yourself. Then you can make sure they have a decent life.One of my friends has a few chickens, and he looks after them. Even so, I don't eat them.