It says on my box of eggs they're from hens "able to roam freely during daylight hours." I'm suspicious of this claim. They're not just kept in slightly larger cages, are they? I'm not a chicken-hugger, just curious...
2007-06-23 22:08:38 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
for a chicken to roam freely it means the chicken can go wherever it pleases. a chickens world isnt really that big, it gets tired too. so "wherever it pleases" can just be like the size of a backard or something
2007-06-23 23:01:40 · answer #1 · answered by nikiyayo 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not only does the term "Free range " suggest a farm atmosphere but to my mind some sort of area allotted to them ,roaming freely to my mind conjures aimless wandering wherever the fancy takes them.Seriously though,free range poultry are housed at night to protect against predators,they are let out early each morning,usually the backyard or the farm ground that has some sort of a fence around the periphery,yet space is ample to roam ,scratch & peck around for worms,weeds & grain or seeds,not only the poultry but the farmer also feel the right of 'Freedom" he has given as a his poultry.
2007-06-24 00:21:07 · answer #2 · answered by dee k 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question. I just assumed that they were set loose in the farm yard instead of being cooped up in a barn or chicken house.
I guess I missed the chance to find out when I was in Austria. On the egg-boxes there, they not only write "Free-range", but include the name and address of the farmer that produced the eggs, sometimes with a URL or e-mail address. I could have paid one of them a visit just to see.
2007-06-23 22:20:35 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They tend to be kept in fenced compounds in fields where they can move about freely and scratch in the dirt, and generally lead a more natural life than caged birds. They are not probably as free as traditional farmyard chickens who could wander for quite a way and in and out of the barns etc.
2007-06-23 22:17:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Instead of cramped wire cages, they are in cramped fenced-in grounds. They have bred, overfed and growth hormoned chickens so much, ( seriously, their things and breasts are not that size naturally) that they couldn't go for a walk-about if they had opposable thumbs, and the desire to hitch a ride on the open road.
2007-06-23 22:18:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
When they roam it means they can go eat whatever they find. They are not confined to an area where the food they get is known. I know the chickens we use to have use to eat our Dogs doo doo. So you may be eating eggs with contaminants in them.
2007-06-23 22:16:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are literally allowed to roam free!! As in free range.
The only time they are enclosed is at night because of the danger of foxes etc.
There are usually enclosures, but these are across acres and generally huge!
2007-06-23 22:16:36 · answer #7 · answered by Sal*UK 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They go on shopping trips to the supermarket and buy oven ready humans.
I have also seen them roaming the Lake district with little rucksacks,camping out under the stars before returning to their coups.
2007-06-23 22:13:37 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
usually it means they have a field or somewhere they can run arround and scratch for their food. a much better life for them than stuck in a cage
2007-06-23 22:40:19 · answer #9 · answered by dansnan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They just walk about outside a bit.
2007-06-23 22:16:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋