<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi All--

Before I give my summary, a woman wrote me yesterday or today who was
very interested in knowing what I found out. I have additional
information for that person - sorry, but I accidently hit the "delete"
button by mistake. If this person will e-mail me again, I'll pass on the
info that might be of some help. Now the summary...

Wow! Thanks to everyone who responded to my inquiry about free-range
eggs and chickens...I stopped counting at 50! Though all of you provided
the same basic information, which is that free-range chickens are
allowed to roam naturally, eating worms, bugs, pebbles, grain they find
on the ground, almost everyone added some info unique to your own
experiences.

What I found most interesting was the general concensus that free-range
chickens are tastier, are healthier for us to eat, and there was a
fairly definite tone that commercial farms are inhumane.  The eggs were
also considered tastier, with shells of a bit darker color than those in
grocery stores, the yolks were darker and stood higher. On the down
side, both free-range chickens and eggs are much more expensive. I can
understand the expense issue, but considering what commercial farms do
to chickens that can make us sick (or at the very least, pass on drugs
that we don't need through the meat), not to mention the inhumane
treatment, I would encourage all of us to support the small chicken
farms by eating less chicken, and then only free-range chickens (and
eggs) for special occasions. When I found out how calves were treated to
give us veal, I just couldn't eat it any more. Yes, I'm a bleeding heart
for all animals...getting closer to vegetarian each day.

It makes some sense that for those of us who obtained a level of good
health by becoming gf, but then bottomed out or didn't get totally
better, perhaps the drugs and chemicals added to chickens either contain
gluten or substances we are sensitive to. Just my thoughts....

Thanks, again, to everyone. You all changed my mind about buying chicken
and eggs in the grocery - if not because of how the chickens are raised,
then not wanting the "added ingredients."


Ayn Gilliland
Topeka, Kansas