Free-range or pastured? Price?

LoveHuevos

In the Brooder
8 Years
9 Years
Jan 24, 2011
86
0
39
Southern California
Are my chicks free-range or pastured?

I used to have them out during the day, but now that my garden is in full bloom, we've put them back in their coop. Once we fix the fence around our garden, we'll let them back out. Their coop/run is pretty large and they have enough room to run and stretch their wings. They're sitting on dirt, so they can take dirt baths. We are constantly throwing in grass clippings, huge piles of leaves and lots of leftovers from our food. Their coop/run is all open, so they get the warm sunny and fresh breezes through it. They can even munch on crickets, mosquitoes and other bugs.

We live in the So. Cal desert and charge $4.00 per dozen.
 
For the time being I personally would use the term pastured raised.
 
What would you use? They're more than cage-free, right? I'm still learning all the terminology.

Cage free means simply that, that they aren't in cages. If they were kept inside of a building and never went outdoors, that still counts as cage free. I believe pastured means a fenced lot/area. I can't remember the "exact" definition of free range, but to me at least it means actually running loose during the day.
 
The United States Department of Agriculture offers this definition:
FREE RANGE or FREE ROAMING: Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.


Cage Free
Chickens that are not kept in cages. This means chickens are still confined to a barn with limited or no access to outside. The term “barn-roaming” more accurately describes this principle.

Free Range
Outside the United States this term refers to a method of farming where the animals are allowed to roam freely rather than being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and indicate solely that the animal has been allowed access to the outside. These regulations do not specify the quality or size of the outside range nor the duration of time the animal must be allowed access to this space.

Pasture Raised
Animals that have been raised on pasture with access to shelter. This term is being used by farmers who wish to distinguish themselves from the industrialized “free-range” term.
 
The United States Department of Agriculture offers this definition:
FREE RANGE or FREE ROAMING: Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.


Cage Free
Chickens that are not kept in cages. This means chickens are still confined to a barn with limited or no access to outside. The term “barn-roaming” more accurately describes this principle.
Free Range
Outside the United States this term refers to a method of farming where the animals are allowed to roam freely rather than being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and indicate solely that the animal has been allowed access to the outside. These regulations do not specify the quality or size of the outside range nor the duration of time the animal must be allowed access to this space.
Pasture Raised
Animals that have been raised on pasture with access to shelter. This term is being used by farmers who wish to distinguish themselves from the industrialized “free-range” term.
Based upon classifications above I would classify OP's poultry as free-range when confined to coop and pasture raised when released following placement of fencing around garden.
 

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