Robert Kesterson wrote:

> On Wed, 09 Aug 2006 08:22:30 -0500, Todd Moody <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>
>> I read with interest his discussion of "organic" and "free-range"  
>> products, notably free-range chickens.  Apparently, to be entitled 
>> to  use the label "free-range" the farmers must allow the chickens to 
>> leave  their cages and peck in a suitable grassy area for a certain 
>> portion of  their lives.  The way this works in practice, he says, is 
>> that the birds  are initially grain-fed, like other chickens, and 
>> then the doors of  their cages are opened, during the last four or so 
>> weeks before they are  slaughtered.
>
>
> If the chicks are raised by humans (as opposed to by the mother 
> hens),  then this actually makes a certain amount of sense.  Baby 
> chicks need to  have elevated temperatures during the first several 
> weeks of their life  because their bodies can't maintain the correct 
> internal temperature and  they'll die.  If they've got a mother hen 
> cuddling them, no problem.  But  if they don't, they have to stay in a 
> heated environment.  The heat is  gradually decreased each week until 
> they're four to six weeks old and have  all their feathers.  At that 
> point they can roam about freely.  Chickens  raised for meat can be 
> slaughtered as early as 8 weeks of age, so that  only gives them two 
> to four weeks to be "free range" chickens.
>
>> The interesting point he makes is that by that point, the great 
>> majority  of the chickens *do not leave their cages*.  I.e., eating 
>> grain in the  cage is, by then, all they know. 
>
Instead of being in the hideous little battery broiler cages, without 
room to turn around, "free-range" chickens
live in larger houses as a group.  Still somewhat crowded, but something 
closer to a normal life.  "Free-range"
laying hens are generally the same way.  Predator pressure generally has 
growers keep the larger birds
in some confinement.

If you want chickens that really run around outside, find a neighbor who 
raises them, or look for
"pastured" poultry. 

> Aside:  If you want to see some frantic chicken action, throw them a  
> couple of ears of fresh corn.  :-) 

Watermelon rinds are also VERY popular. 

>
> As with any other kind of food, the best way to know what's in the 
> food is  to know the grower.  Food produced by a local farmer, 
> especially if that  farmer is you, is going to be a lot easier to know 
> the history and whether  or not you want to eat it -- and it'll be 
> fresher and healthier than the  stuff you find in the supermarket.

Amen!  Exactly right.

    Lynnet