What is Cage Free

Egg labels such as cage-free, free-range, and pasture-raised refer to how hens are raised and housed. These terms have distinct definitions and implications for the birds’ welfare, access to the outdoors, and overall living conditions:

1. Cage-Free

• Definition: Hens are housed indoors but not in cages. They can move freely within the barn and typically have access to perches, nesting boxes, and scratching areas.

• Living Space: Each bird has about 1–1.5 square feet of space. 1 sq foot is enough if the hens have vertical space like roosts or elevated platforms. 1.5 square feet is required if they don’t. 

• Access to Outdoors: No outdoor access is required.

• Animal Welfare: Cage-free systems improve movement compared to traditional battery cages but still restrict many natural behaviors.

2. Free-Range

• Definition: Similar to cage-free, but hens must also have ‘access’ to the outdoors. The outdoor space may vary in quality and size.

• Living Space: Typically the same indoor space as cage-free but with an outdoor component. The catch here is the outdoor space is often very limited and not easily accessed by all hens.

• Outdoor Access: Regulations require outdoor access, but this may be as limited as a small, fenced area and does not guarantee frequent or meaningful time outdoors.

• Animal Welfare: Offers better welfare opportunities than cage-free if outdoor access is substantial and enriched.

3. Pasture-Raised

• Definition: Hens are raised outdoors on pastures for most of the day and are housed indoors only at night or during severe weather.

• Living Space: Requires 108 square feet per bird of outdoor pasture, as per Certified Humane and similar labels.

• Outdoor Access: Birds have continuous access to open pastures, which are often rotated for foraging and to maintain grass health.

• Animal Welfare: Provides the highest welfare standards among these systems, allowing hens to express their full range of natural behaviors like foraging, scratching, and dust bathing.

Those were the set definitions.  Here are some more thoughts on each

“Cage-Free” 

Is a first step in more humane chicken raising but is not the freedom it is made to sound like. Most “Cage-free” labeled meat and eggs are still coming from Confinement Animal Feed Operations or CAFOs. 

They are barns of 30-50 thousand chickens, possibly more. It’s hard to get true and accurate data on these operations because they have strict ‘biosecurity’ measures that limit the ability for people to see what’s happening behind closed doors. 

“Free-Range” 

Among the labels that you will see at the grocery store, this one may be better. But in most cases probably almost the same as ‘cage-free’ just carrying a higher price tag.  Free-range eggs coming from independent farmers, homesteaders and backyard chicken enthusiasts are probably free-range in the way we all picture when we see that.  If you don’t know the source of these eggs probably not worth the extra cost.

“Pasture Raised” 

I believe to be the gold standard at this point of how poultry is raised. And when it is truly raised in the way the label intends, meaning the birds are outside at all available times, rotated to fresh pasture frequently, and given all opportunities to express their natural tendencies. 

When birds are raised on pasture, the nutritional value of the eggs and meat produced far exceeds that of birds raised inside. I’m going to address the super nutrients of eggs tomorrow.

I also believe that the true meaning of the label “pasture raised” will be the most threatened over the next few years. As the major producers try to get a corner on this market. There are already things happening at a regulatory level to change the definition of “pasture raised” to allow more flexibility. These changes are being spearheaded by Purdue, which if passed I believe will lessen the true value of the “pasture raised” label. 

Now, some great large-scale poultry farms are using robotic chicken pens that slowly move the birds across the pasture, and we will see more and more large-scale operations move in that direction. 

Ultimately if you truly want to know how your eggs are produced, the best way is to know your farmer. So right there you are a world ahead of most egg buyers! 

If you are in a situation where you are buying eggs from a major grocery store and there’s not a verified brand of pasture raised eggs, I would probably get the most affordable. The extra $$ for the ‘Free-Range” label is not warranted in the way they are raised.

We are well-stocked with eggs to get you through the holiday baking season. 

If you are coming by the farm for ‘Grab and Go’ eggs, shoot me a call or text so we can be sure to have enough out for you. On these colder days they will freeze when they are left in the porch fridge for more than a few hours. 

Tomorrow we’ll talk about the super food the egg is. 

Aila