Read and react, I know you will hate this article on free range vs

[okiechick57]

If we had a smiley that made a raspberry face I would SO react to it that way

 

[speckledhen]

We do!

 

[FarmerDenise]

It's amazing how these people make these judgements. I don't know about you guys, but my chickens seek shelter during bad weather and take cover from a potential hawk (plane, crow, helicopter; it's all danger to them). They make soft clucking noises as well as a purring sound when they appear to be content. Have these so called experts ever witnessed any of this?
I doubt they bothered to look or listen to real free range chickens.
I take my Butika with me a lot of times when I go to friends or even some stores. People are always amazed at how sweet and tame she is.
We're converting them one at a time, my Butika and I.

 

[1acrefarm]

My chickens and ducks sure were stressed out today. They did the stressful dust bathing, bug eating, weed and grass eating, exercising, scratching the ground. They were so stressed out by all those activities they would not go back in the run when I tried to bribe them with scratch. I should be shot for being so cruel to my animals. Everyone knows they would be much happier stuffed in a shoebox sized cage.

 

[CovenantCreek]

Quote:
I think FarmerDenise got it right -- they're comparing the stress of factory "free-range" chickens (the ones who have to deal with poop-borne diseases) to caged chickens. It's obvious no real research was done for the article and the free-range birds were probably on the same property as the caged birds.

I don't know about all y'alls chickens, but mine don't stay in one place long enough to run across any poop-borne diseases (unless it comes from the horses' poop). And the parasites, my goodness, nothing a little DE can't keep under control. My girls don't even have sense enough to come in out of the rain! They'd much rather be digging up all the worms that are coming to the surface than hiding out in a dry, boring coop.

 

[PurpleChicken]

It is my understanding caged birds, such as parrots, live longer in
captivity then they do in the wild. I'm sure if I took a standard RIR and
raised it in a cage it would probably live longer than it's free ranging
counterpart.

Would it be happy? I don't know. Can a chicken be happy? Mine sure act
like they LOVE roaming around but how do you define happiness? Is
this not just a chicken's instinctive response in order to diversify their diet?
Again, I don't know.

What I do know is people tend to humanize animals. We think we see emotions
in them they probably can't experience.

I definately read the politics bleeding into the article in question and I have
serious problems with the science behind it.

Interesting topic.

One thing I do know is WE are happier with our chickens around and in return
we treat them with the respect and care that all creatures deserve.

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

So.. someone explain to me why puppy mills (lots of dogs in tiny cages) is inhumane, but chicken mills.. er.. whatever, is much better than being free range? I guess keeping my kids locked in a closet would keep them healthier, but happier? Um.. no.

Also.. I guess I question their findings re: manure. My chickens have 2 acres to roam on (small compared to some) and with that much room I'm hard pressed to FIND the poo, never mind them squelching around in it. What exactly are they using as a "free ranging flock"?


And.. a certain amount of stress is GOOD for us. Not chronic stress, obviously, but some stress keeps us healthy.

I hate it when a study is flawed and bias from the get-go. Drives me CRAZY! What a waste of time and money, not to mention the tarnishing of real science.

I'm with you folks. Guess my poor, abused hens will just have to continue their hateful lives roaming around, digging in leaves, eating bugs, and acting like REAL chickens.

Meghan

 

[ivan3]

Predators? Check.
Disease vectors? Check.
Climatological vagaries? Check.

Guess these girls have gone all prostate owing to the fear and anxiety...

That said, they don't get to suffer so unless one of us is outside with a rifle handy.

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Quote:
Is that just in case the stress gets to be too much and you have to put one of them out of her misery?

 

[McGoo]

Okay, so I'm a researcher....

If we read what was written:
Dr Jeff Downing at the University of Sydney, conducted a recent study measuring corticosterone, a hormone produced in response to stress or fear, in eggs from free range and modern caged hens. In both types of eggs, levels of the hormone were similar.

How many hens? Where was the study conducted? What types of birds? What types of cages? Over what period of time? The list of questions goes on and on.

Trust me on this one - if you want a study to make you look good - it will! Between the construct of the study, the internal and external factors, laboratory work and statistics - not to mention the hypothesis- you can get whatever you want...especially if you're paying for it.