Are my birds yarded or free-range?

[ckmjreynolds]

"The distinction is that free-range poultry are either totally unfenced, or the fence is so distant that it has little influence on their freedom of movement."

So I've selected the survivors (already eaten one and seven are in the paper to be sold and will be eaten if not).

The eight I'm keeping have a (under construction) 14'x14' open-air coop with a 185' x 71' (yeah, nearly 1/3 of an Acre) "run". So is that yarding or free-range? . I call it spoiled personally. Free-range isn't an option with all the free-range dogs in the area.

Chris

 

[Ms.Frizzle]

If I understand right, chickens roam up to 200 ft from where they roost, give or take (at least mine do). Anything smaller then that would be changing how far they would roam, but idk... If they have enough room to be a chicken, i don't really care what the deffinition is.

 

[Veggie4life55]

We have 10 chickens (3 Roos and 7 hens) and ours are enclosed because we live so close to the road. They have a run that is about 32'x16'....Because that is all the space we have that can be fenced in... If our roos would learn to get along again (we have one young roo that is chasing our older roo..) we would build the run out under a row of trees so they would have an extra 20'x4'or 6' but because of were we are housing the one roo his enclosure is in the way...

I would prob free range if I wasn't so close to the road though. But this year we are fencing in our back yard so that they can kinda free range there...

But I do have a feeling that free range chickens are heathier than chickens that live on mostly layer feed.even though we purchase a high end "natural" feed... We have had a few health issues that I think stem back to not being able to digest the calcium that is in the layer feed as well as the calcium they would get from free ranging through grass etc... So I look forward to them being able to eat the grass in our back yard this summer!

 

[33yardbirds]

I have explorers, I have found them up to 100 yds deep in the cedars. After some close encounters they now stay within 50yds of the coop. The cantankerous BR Roo keeps a close eye on the sky and wood edge.

 

[ckmjreynolds]

Everyone seems to think I've gone / am going way overboard on the space.

I'm aiming to have a low enough birds / acre ratio that they do not kill all of the grass, from what I've read I could have 15-30 in that area before they'd kill everything green. I figure it's a win-win all around if they can forage.

(I have a fenced in acre per child too, but the wife insists I let them in the house at night. ;-P)

Chris

 

[Farmer_Dan]

Quote:

 

[JasonLF]

According to the USDA:

FREE RANGE or FREE ROAMING:
Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.


http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/meat_&_poultry_labeling_terms/index.asp

 

[ckmjreynolds]

Quote:
Yeah, but that's the USDA most around here seem to have a more strict definition. Mine don't have a choice but to be outside. Even the coop once completed will be open air. I'm a lot more worried about them surviving the heat and humidity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast than I am our winter!

Chris

 

[pinkwindsong]

Quote:
love the child to acre ..

seems like pleanty of room
)O(
Pink

 

[Dogfish]

Does it really matter? Not trying to be flip, but if the bird is allowed access outside, then per the USDA, who is THE authority on labeling, they are free range.

Don't know who else would decide "free range" standards other than them. If everyody could set their own definition for any standard, there would be chaos.

We just call our birds happy.