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Dr. Jennifer Hughes, MD
Medical Reviewer
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The abundant terminology you see on chicken packages or egg cartons at the store can certainly be confusingโfrom cage-free to free-range to pasture-raised, it can be hard to know which one is best.
Although โfree rangeโ sounds idyllic and invokes the pastoral image of chickens roaming freely and grazing the day away, this is unfortunately not always the case.
In this article, learn more about what defines free-range chicken, the benefits and downsides of free-range chicken, and what type of chicken might be a better choice.
The term โfree range,โ as defined by the USDA, is that chickens must have โoutdoor accessโ or โaccess to the outdoors.โ
However, this is open to some interpretation.
For example, this can mean that there is a tiny โpop holeโ that technically allows access to the outdoorsโbut in a crowded henhouse, not all chickens would be able to access it.
The USDAโs rule also does not specify how long the chickens should have outdoor accessโmeaning, popping open a small door for just minutes would legally suffice.
Although some farms do things right, many large-scale chicken or egg producers will simply install a small door or open window that leads to paved groundโno idyllic grazing farm life here.
These chickensโor their eggsโcan still legally be labeled “free-range” despite the not-so-free environment.
However, free-range chickens will always be cage-free, which is a plus.
This is not to say that all large-scale farmers are leaning on these loopholes, as many do allow their chickens to have real roaming access to the outdoors.
To take โfree-rangeโ a step further, HFACโs (Humane Farm Animal Care) Certified Humaneยฎ Free Range classification adds a space requirement inside the henhouse, with a minimum of 2 square feet per bird.
Plus, Certified Humaneยฎ Free Range hens must be allowed outdoors for at least six hours per day (weather permitting)โa vast improvement over the USDAโs meager requirements.
Although we talked about some potential downsides of free range chickenโespecially if they are just going by the USDAโs definitionsโbuying or consuming free range chicken does have some benefits, especially when compared to conventionally raised chicken.
Conventionally raised chickens are kept inside, often in crowded cages with zero outdoor accessโan obviously unideal way for chickens to live.
In a study of 400 chickens, free-range hens had significant improvements over conventionally raised chickens, including reductions in foot pad dermatitis (skin inflammation that causes painful lesions) and healthier feathers, like no bare patches.
The free-range chickens with free dietary choice of mealworms and fresh grass were also better able to walk.
Zero percent of the conventionally raised chickens had normal gaitsโin fact, all of them fell into the categories of โonly able to walk under strong stimulation,โ โunable to walk,โ or โunable to stand.โ
In contrast, all of the free-range and free-dietary choice chickens had normal walking scores.
However, itโs important to note that the free-range chickens in this study had ample outdoor access and ate what they wantedโnot all free-range chickens at the store fall into this category.
There are also nutritional benefits to eating free range chickenโespecially chickens that have access to their typical diets of grass and bugs.
In contrast, most conventionally raised chickens eat grain-based diets.
In the same previously mentioned study, the free range chickens who ate what they pleased had significantly better meat and egg quality.
This included darker yolks (indicating more vitamins), bigger eggs, and higher water-holding capacityโa significant trait of good meat quality.
Being free range was also better nutritionally for the chickens, as they showed healthier gut bacteria composition.
Another study found that free-range chickens produced meat with significantly lower fat content and higher levels of protein, zinc, and iron than conventional chicken meat.
Although free-range chicken is undoubtedly better than conventionally raised chicken, there is another gold-standard optionโpasture-raised.
The USDA does not regulate the term pasture-raised, but the HFAC Certified Humaneยฎ โPasture Raisedโ certification has some requirements:
As you can see, the regulations for pasture-raised chickens are idealโbut understandably difficult for many farmers to comply with.
Hopefully, in the future, more and more chicken and egg producers will make their way to pasture-raised.
To buy genuinely free range chicken, your best bet is a local farmerโs market, where you can learn from the farmer directly about their practices.
However, this is often not possible for some.
Another option is purchasing through Crowd Cow, which sends you healthy and ethically raised meat right to your door.
Crowd Cow offers several varieties of chicken, including:
You can also look for the โCertified Humane Free Rangeโ or โCertified Humane Pasture Raisedโ labels at health-focused stores like Sprouts or Whole Foods.
Free range chicken is better for you than conventionally raised chicken.
However, the best chickenโboth nutritionally and ethicallyโis pasture raised chicken, which allows chickens unlimited outdoor grazing and roaming access.
Free range chickens have some outdoor access available, but that amount can vary depending on the farm.
Compared to conventional chickens, free range chickens tend to have better health and produce healthier eggs and meat.
Free range chickensโespecially when they are actually allowed ample time outdoorsโproduce healthier eggs and meat and have a better quality of life.
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