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In reply to the discussion: I Ate Turkey on Thanksgiving and It Was DELICIOUS! [View all]Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)Last edited Wed Dec 3, 2014, 12:27 AM - Edit history (1)
"free range" label is a marketing slight of hand and requires that humans assume chickens are far more intelligent than they actually are.
Government guidelines state that in order for a chicken to be labeled "free range" that chicken must have access to the outdoors. Many "free range" chickens are warehoused and crammed together by the thousands with a few small doors and ramps leading to the outside. The farmer gets to decide when and how long those doors are open which results in most of those birdbrained creatures not realizing they even exist. Also, they are raised solely indoors until they are past their peep stage. Chickens, being creatures of habit are unlikely to cross that road if it looks unfamiliar and threatening.
Their pasture is a dirt floor and chicken poop, one chicken for every foot of space and they still don't have access to big juicy grubs and crunchy crickets.