Laws about classifying eggs as free-range

[Martinboyds]

Hi does anybody know if there any laws about classifying your eggs as "free-range" I know that there are laws for classifying them as organic, but I don't know about free-range. Any help on this subject would be appreciated. Thanks Dave from MD

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

I have never heard of any rules or regulations unless you got thousands of hens. If you selling out of your backyard to neighbors and friends there are really no rules for it. But you can check your local USDA office they might have some info on it.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I don't know, but I'd love to know too!

By the way,

 

[Martinboyds]

do you think most ppl know of the benefits of free-range eggs?

 

[dacjohns]

This is from Wikipedia (which is the ultimate source of information and never contains any inaccuracies).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that chickens raised for their meat have access to the outdoors in order to receive the free-range certification. Free-range chicken eggs, however, have no legal definition in the United States. Likewise, free-range egg producers have no common standard on what the term means. Many egg farmers sell their eggs as free range merely because their cages are two or three inches above average size, or because there is a window in the shed.[citation needed]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_range

 

[Buckaroo]

So if I cut out a window, my layers can be free range? lol

Mine are in a pen attached to the coop, and let out to roam, now that free range.