In recent times, many poultry operations have made the switch from conventional battery house practices to cage-free or free-range management for their birds. Cage-free and free-range poultry have caused quite a bit of controversy in the industry, leading some to wonder if either is a sustainable practice, or if it will last for the long haul with such a heavy consumer demand for chicken and egg products. So, just what do the terms “cage-free” and “free-range” actually mean? And are there other practices that are just as (or perhaps more so) sustainable?
Cage Free: Many consumers are often seduced by the label on egg cartons that reads “cage free.” Upon first glance, it sounds better than the traditional battery house operations, where hens are kept in cages for the duration of their productive lives. Cage-free birds are usually kept in large poultry houses by the hundreds, and do not always have access to the outdoors.
Free Range: Free-range is a term often applied to meat chickens. Free-range poultry, per the United States Department of Agriculture, means that “producers must demonstrate to the agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.” While this is a bit more appealing to consumers than no access to the great outdoors, it typically means that poultry are kept in large houses with doors that lead to an adjacent yard of varying size.
Pastured: Another term that is making its way into the poultry industry is “pastured.” This term is not as well-known as cage-free or free-range, but many consumers are turning to this option for their chicken and eggs. Pastured poultry means that the broilers, layers, etc., are raised on pasture without indoor confinement. This practice generally involves the birds living in portable housing that is moved daily to fresh pasture, allowing the birds to eat a more natural diet and have unlimited access to fresh air and sunshine. “The model has been developed over the last 20 years and allows the birds to receive a significant amount of pasture forage as feed. The birds are kept on fresh pasture, which allows the birds to be raised in a cleaner, healthier environment,” says the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association.
Many smaller farmers raise their poultry on pasture not just to improve the health and nutrition of the birds, but also to command a higher price at niche markets for a healthy, premium product. Jonathan Hale of Polyface Farms in Swoope, VA., a leader in the natural agriculture and local food movement, says there is a “huge difference” in eggs and meat from chickens that have been raised in the farm’s “egg-mobiles” and portable broiler housing.
While this method is quite popular with smaller scale farmers, larger companies are also making the sustainable switch to pastured poultry – Vital Farms, a sizeable egg producer based in Texas, has made a push for chicken and egg products that are produced on pasture, without antibiotics. Family farmers who produce eggs for the Vital Farms label are all Certified Humane, and, according to the Vital Farms website, provide 108 square feet of outdoor pasture per bird.
As consumers become more aware of where their food comes from and how it is raised, it seems likely that more sustainable and humane management practices will continue to grow for consumers, the cage free and free range practices that many U.S producers have switched to, while not perfect, are an improvement upon the battery system. As time goes on and new management techniques are developed, perhaps there is a future where all poultry will be pastured.
