Free Range Chickens and Their Eggs

The USDA has no definition for "Free Range", whether it is in reference to poultry meat, eggs, dairy, pork, beef, or any other livestock commodity. Since the eggs and meat of supposedly Free Range chickens bring a higher price for the farmer, many farmers really stretch their definition of the term to suit their conditions.

Free Range brings up an image of sleek and healthy hens scratching happily in a barnyard with a brood of fuzzy little chicks in tow. In reality, many free range chickens are poorly nourished if their owners expect them to find sustenance on what they can locate themselves. Chickens will eat anything and everything: weeds, garden goodies, grain left by other livestock, bugs and worms, and just about any vegetable or meat scrap they can find. This is good, as long as they are getting enough balance and enough protein to make eggs. It is not good if they have access to chemically sprayed roadsides or fields, because they eat whatever they find wherever they find it. It takes about 1/2 cup of quality grain plus scratchings for a hen to get the 50 calories and 5 grams of protein it takes for her to make one egg. She also needs another 1/2 cup of quality grain for calories to use for her own energy and health, and maybe more if she is using lots of her energy looking for food. Many free range chickens end up under-nourished because the land they are expected to feed from just doesn't contain enough nutrients to sustain them. Their bodies are naturally programmed to make eggs, and unless they get good nutrition, the natural egg-laying process will deplete them quickly. If they are not well-fed enough to lay good eggs, they will be too skinny even for the stew-pot. Under-nourished chickens are susceptible to all kinds of diseases, and their overall health is diminished.

Some farmers call their chickens free range because they have access to the outdoors. This can be nothing more than a window in the coop. Or there may be a small fenced yard where the chickens can go in and out if they wish. In some cases, if food and water are indoors, many hens will stay inside. Other farmers allow their chickens to roam freely in a house, uncaged, and they call these free range. There are no rules, and you shouldn't assume anything when it comes to the food you eat.

There are many breeds that are not suited for outdoor living because they were specially bred to live in cages. This is a sad situation, but some farmers keep these breeds and put them in a yard, calling it free range. I made the mistake one year when I was starting out with chickens of buying some leghorn chicks. The feed store man told me the leghorns were great for meat and eggs, so I bought 25 fuzzy little yellow hen chicks. They were so inbred and neurotic, it was unbelievable! They would not go outside with my other chickens. As they matured, they spent all their time sitting in straw. Their feet did not develop properly, and most of them could barely even walk. I asked a vet about them, and they were otherwise healthy. That was my first and only experience with hybridized commercial grade chickens. This was 30 years ago, and, sadly, these are still the main types of chickens raised commercially today.

The best chickens for true Free Range eggs and meat are Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds, or Barred Rocks. White Rocks are fine, sturdy birds, but they remind me of the leghorns because they are white. These breeds are larger, sturdy birds. The eggs from these breeds are brown, often speckled brown. The birds are smart as chickens go, and they learn the ways of the wild quickly. They are purebreds, and they will breed true to type. They will also produce some nice cross breeds, if your flock is mixed and contains these breeds. Free Range chickens need plenty of space to wander and feed on nutritious wild greens and seeds. They love table scraps. You need to make sure your dogs and cats won't bother them. Wild predators are another problem, and a fenced yard makes sense if predators are normal in your area. My favorite hens are the Reds. Mine were Free Range before the term existed. They were closed in every evening for protection and they loved to roost in the rafters of the small barn. These hens ate up every scrap from the kitchen, plus they roamed a field and found plenty of bugs and seeds. They always had supplemental grain available. Chickens know how to balance their diet, and they eat what they need when they need it.

Eggs from truly Free Range chickens that are allowed to roam widely are tasty, but it can be extremely difficult to know when they were laid. If the hens are laying eggs in grass out in the field, an egg may have been out in the sun for a couple of days before it is found and collected. If the flock has roosters, there is a good chance that the egg will be fertilized, which sometimes causes blood in the egg when it is cracked open. A fertilized egg that is a couple of days old has already begun to grow into a chick.

If you buy eggs that are called "Free Range" you should check with the company that is printed on the carton. Ask them about the growing conditions of their birds, how the eggs are collected, and how far the eggs are shipped. If you live near a farmer who sells eggs directly to consumers, you are lucky! Drive out and see the chickens for yourself. If you see plump, busy chickens in a yard, fenced or not, you will be able to judge for yourself whether you want to eat their eggs.