What exactly does "Free range eggs" mean?

Question

Does this mean that the chickens are roaming around outside?

Tims comment is kind of what i meant, i'd heard that they just leave a door open and none of them actually go outside, is that true?

Answer 1

Essentially, yes. It means the chickens are not raised in and kept caged. They are free to run about.

Answer 2

This information has been taken from the British Free Range Egg Producers Association website. Regulations insist that every farm must provide an acre of field for every 400 hens. Obviously, if it's cold, wet and/or windy, the birds will prefer to stay in the shelter of the chicken house. New chicken housing benefits from heating and ventilation and the birds normally spend their time between the housing and the ranging area. As well as the grass they eat, they're automatically fed every few hours with grain and soya, that contains vitamins and minerals. Every house also has a 'scratching area' that satisfies their natural behavioural needs and, of course, nest boxes are provided where they lay their eggs. Because of the time spent outside, free range hens are more exposed to disease; for this reason, these flocks are under the supervision of specialist poultry vets.

Answer 3

Free range means the chickens have free access to roam outside during the day from dawn to dusk, although they are housed at night, for safety. They should be allowed to search for food, scratch and dust bathe. The chickens will need somewhere to lay eggs and shelter if the weather is bad, but the choice is theirs.
If the chickens only have limited access (an hour or two) to outside, they are not free range.

Answer 4

Free-range eggs are eggs from poultry which have been farmed without intensive factory farming methods.

The main difference between free range and factory farmed eggs is that the birds are permitted to roam freely within the farmyard and only kept in sheds or henhouses at night. However, not all countries have legal standards defining what free range means.

For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has no standards and allows egg producers to freely label any egg as a free range egg.

Many producers will label their eggs as cage-free in addition to or instead of free range. In other countries such as Australia strict regulations govern what can qualify to be called free range and those eggs which do not qualify must state that they are cage or barn laid on their container.

Free range eggs may have more of an orange colour to their yolks due to the abundance of greens and insects in the diet of the birds.

Answer 5

Free-range eggs are eggs from poultry which have been farmed without intensive factory farming methods. The main difference between free range and factory farmed eggs is that the birds are permitted to roam freely within the farmyard and only kept in sheds or henhouses at night. However, not all countries have legal standards defining what free range means. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has no standards and allows egg producers to freely label any egg as a free range egg. Many producers will label their eggs as cage-free in addition to or instead of free range. In other countries such as Australia strict regulations govern what can qualify to be called free range and those eggs which do not qualify must state that they are cage or barn laid on their container.

Free range eggs may have more of an orange colour to their yolks due to the abundance of greens and insects in the diet of the birds.

Answer 6

It means the chickens are allowed outside instead of being couped up and abused. A lot of the chickens that lay eggs dont like a very good life, but free range chickens do.

Answer 7

Free range eggs are eggs produced by, in comparison to other chickens, chickens who roam around outside in more space and get fed better food and are more well looked after. Battery chickens produce regular eggs. These chickens are cooped up in those massive warehouses and are fed corn and die from getting trampled on and sit in there own pee.

Answer 8

It means the chickens that laid them were free range. If you buy free range for ethical reasons, or somesuch be careful. Some authorities allow free range to be applied to something like one door being open in a gigantic building for a couple hours a day. Which essentially ends up being the same as normal.

Answer 9

Yes .
Free range eggs are laid by hens that can roam about and feed outside.
Not like the battery hens which are cooped up in cage like things and never see the light of day or get any exercise at all

Answer 10

Free range is a method of farming husbandry where the animals are permitted to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. The principle is to allow the animals as much freedom as possible, to live out their instinctual behaviours in a reasonably natural way, regardless of whether or not they are eventually killed for meat. One of the many benefits of free range animals is for some rudimentary insect population control in the free range area.

Answer 11

it means the eggs are not free they are more expensive

because the chickens were freerange chickens
it means that they are not oin gadges and walk around in a field or yard eating lots of bugs and seeds etc

so the eggs taste much better with darker yellow yolks ,and the meat also is much better ,not so sickly white and soft as battery chickens

that is why they are more expensive ,they are raised in less intense situations but are better quality