Even though, we may have differing views on the subject of free ranging, I respect your experience and knowledge. In a sense, I think we probably have a similar over all goal. Being that I have been involved with agriculture since childhood I absolutely love the fact that so many people are keeping chickens. The concept of backyard chickens, as evidenced by this forum of the same name, showcases people from all over the world at all stages of experience sharing knowledge and asking questions. It’s great! Many folks are learning that they can keep chickens to provide eggs and or meat for themselves and possibly to share with or market to others.
It proves that we as individuals can produce some of our own food. Many rely totally on the current system/supply chain out of necessity or preference. Somewhere along the way, a lot of our agricultural production got big, and owned and/or controlled by huge conglomerate corporations. As is the case with chickens both layers and meat birds. Hogs are also that way. Small dairy farms are fading fast,
Beef cattle production is the last stand for small farmers. Beef cattle are still owned by individuals. The system is closing in and the few large packing corporations do control a vast majority of the market affecting both the farmers and consumers a like. They hold prices down when buying cattle before they process them, then raise the prices when selling to the grocery stores which have to raise prices accordingly to the consumers.
I would love to see a huge movement of local farmers being able to supply food directly to other local consumers and thus have to rely less on the big multinational corporations and the supply chain. Of course the big corporations don’t want that.
People having their own chickens proves that it can be done.
