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X2! It's pretty much the same with the terms "organic" and "free range". Niche terms that catch the prospective buyer's eye, even if they have no clue what they actually mean. To me, a true "Free Range" chicken would be one that earns their keep by foraging for their own food, period. That they live solely on their own, much like free range cattle did years ago, that never saw a bale of hay or a sack of feed, they lived on the native grasses. I answered an ad for "free range" chickens recently. He assured me all his chickens were indeed "free range". When I asked him to extrapalate, he said, "my birds aren't raised in cages, they have a huge run, 30 x 30' that they free range in." Buyer beware, sellers be honest!
To me a 30x30 pen with vegetation, worms, bugs and other natural elements definitely fits my interpretation of free range. FWIW, cattle rancher have ALWAYS provided some feed/hay for range cattle. Not necessarily when the grass is thick and lush with growth, but certainly during winter or dry seasons.
Both organic and free-range, however has specific definitions when used for packaging or marketing food items. Organic usually requires certification and includes testing to ensure that drift of disallowed pesticides or fertilizers has not occurred when dealing with crops. The definition or free-range does not at all meet most people's concept of the term, and certainly would not fit yours.
X2! It's pretty much the same with the terms "organic" and "free range". Niche terms that catch the prospective buyer's eye, even if they have no clue what they actually mean. To me, a true "Free Range" chicken would be one that earns their keep by foraging for their own food, period. That they live solely on their own, much like free range cattle did years ago, that never saw a bale of hay or a sack of feed, they lived on the native grasses. I answered an ad for "free range" chickens recently. He assured me all his chickens were indeed "free range". When I asked him to extrapalate, he said, "my birds aren't raised in cages, they have a huge run, 30 x 30' that they free range in." Buyer beware, sellers be honest!
To me a 30x30 pen with vegetation, worms, bugs and other natural elements definitely fits my interpretation of free range. FWIW, cattle rancher have ALWAYS provided some feed/hay for range cattle. Not necessarily when the grass is thick and lush with growth, but certainly during winter or dry seasons.
Both organic and free-range, however has specific definitions when used for packaging or marketing food items. Organic usually requires certification and includes testing to ensure that drift of disallowed pesticides or fertilizers has not occurred when dealing with crops. The definition or free-range does not at all meet most people's concept of the term, and certainly would not fit yours.
