Now that we have our own chickens, it’s suddenly become more important to me that the chickens we buy for meat have had a reasonable quality of life. They’re such interesting, intelligent birds, and while our girls haven’t quite made a vegetarian out of me yet, I am now looking more closely at the meat we’re buying.
We haven’t bought a non-free range chook for years, but recently I’d read a couple of articles which suggested that the way some free range chickens are kept is cruel, as they aren’t used to being in large flocks and tend to peck at each other mercilessly. There have also been stories about free range birds being de-beaked and de-spurred in at attempt to stop them killing each other.
To try and understand this all a bit better, I rang FREPA and made some enquiries. FREPA stands for Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia – a not-for-profit company which accredits free range poultry farmers in Australia. Do have a look at their standards – they’re an enlightening read.
Here are some of the things I found out:
1. In Australia, FREPA certified meat chickens are not mutilated in any way – beak trimming, toe trimming and de-beaking are not permitted. According to the lady I spoke to, this is because it isn’t necessary – our meat birds have been bred to be non-aggressive, although this isn’t the case in all countries. Roosters and laying hens are more inclined to peck, but this isn’t an issue with the birds raised in Australia specifically for meat. The standard for meat birds is available here; the comparable one for egg laying chickens is here.
2. FREPA standards do not allow de-beaking of free-range laying hens. De-beaking involves cutting the top beak to be shorter than the bottom one. However, beak trimming is permitted – I’ve been advised that this involves taking less than 1mm off the beak when the chick is a day old, before its pain receptors have developed. This process is carried out to stop the birds from cannibalising each other.
I was most surprised when Meg from FREPA had a look at the photos of our chickens and advised me that our birds had been beak trimmed! She said the trimming done on our hens was the maximum permitted by FREPA.
3. FREPA have in place a regulation which prevents free range egg producers from artificially lighting enclosures for extended hours to force the birds to lay continuously. According to the standard, artificial lighting is only allowed where the combination of natural and artificial light doesn’t exceed 15 hours per 24 hour period.
4. Contrary to what most people think, organic does not automatically mean free range. Organic refers only to the food the birds are fed, free range refers to the way they’re raised. Of course, the reverse is also true, and free range birds aren’t usually fed organic feed, but they do have the option of foraging for some of their food outdoors. This is a big issue – with organic birds often retailing for nearly $30 each here in Australia, it makes sense to check that the bird is both organic and free range. And personally, if I had to make a choice, I would always choose free range over organic – our primary concern being the animal’s welfare.
5. Slowly, slowly, the country is undergoing a revolution – Red Rooster, one of our largest fast food chains, is currently trialling free range birds in Western Australia. If the move is successful, it will be rolled out across the country. How cool will it be when our takeaway roast chickens are all free range?
6. Free range birds grow at a slightly slower rate than battery chickens, but in a far less stressful environment. The difference in flavour may be attributed to this lack of stress.
7. In Australia, we are blessed with space, which means we have plenty of room to allow our free range chickens to roam about. This is a limiting issue in many countries, particularly in parts of Europe. We are fortunate to live in a country where lamb and beef are also grazed rather than intensively farmed, although that’s often not the case with pork unless it’s specifically marketed as free range.
If you’re an Aussie, and you want to choose a chicken (or eggs) from an accredited FREPA farm, look for the FREPA logo. It’s a line drawing of a chicken on a silhouette of Australia, and is a guarantee that the bird you’re buying has lived a decent free range life!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Very nice post!
Thanks Sally! :)
This is really interesting Celia. Thanks for the info. You have really done the research on this. And exciting news about Red Rooster. Hopefully more fast food companies will take a leaf from their book.
Dan, I was pretty excited too! FREPA were really helpful – it was great to have access to this sort of information.
We have had a huge campaign here spearheaded by Hugh FW for a while now on the chicken welfare issue part of the Compassion in Farming lobby group
http://www.chickenout.tv/
Thanks for the link, Jo! I remember the campaign, but haven’t followed how successful it’s been. Will check out their site now..
Thanks for this post Celia. I was recently speaking to one of my colleagues about this very thing and we ended up deciding one of us should ring FREPA to clarify and here I am reading your post. Serendipity !!
Cheers
Anna
Hi Celia, thanks for doing this research! I have always been a bit wary about “free range” chicken, knowing how “tribal” my home chooks are, and having seen the vicious life that chooks in barns for egg-layers live. I shall be more comfortable eating bought free range chicken now.
Your research has helped, when I read organic I immediately assume they are free range and now I understand the two may not go together, and will look for the right combo from now on. Thanks Celia
Excellent info, Celia!
It always pays to ask questions of your butcher and to check the answers they give, just to be sure.
I know that I have been fibbed to, in the past.
Anna and Linda, thank you – I’m glad this info is of use to others as well. One thing though – this all applies to chickens certified by FREPA – in meat chickens, I know this includes Inghams Free Range, Lilydale and Hazeldene. I’m not sure if all free range chickens in Oz are treated in the same way. I’m also yet to find FREPA approved eggs – I believe they’re available at smaller supermarkets and specialist outlets. As with all things, it’s a case of scrutinising before we buy, as Amanda points out. I know we’ve been fibbed to before, and I’m quite suspicious of some of the eggs we’ve bought in the past…
Roz, I think most organic chickens in Australia would be free range as well, but it’s more that one label doesn’t necessitate the other – organic isn’t necessarily free range, nor vice versa. I can’t afford organic chickens anyway! :)
Great post Celia. The taste of a free-range chook compared to your average bought one alone is so different, (watery!). Can’t afford to eat organic chicken, but we always make sure its free-range. I’ve never noticed the logo before, so will be keeping my eye for that one.
Thanks Brydie. I’m starting to understand that not all free range chooks are treated the same way. It’s useful to have a standard and accreditation to look out for!
It’s really hard when you’re trying to do the right thing to not know where to start. Thanks for a very insightful article.
Chef, thank you for understanding that. It’s often so frustrating trying to do the right thing, and sometimes it feels that no matter which way you turn, it’s almost impossible to make a healthy, ethical or eco-friendly decision. In your case that would be even further complicated by your food intolerances, I’m sure!
I think all we can do is make an effort – we can’t live perfect lives, but we can try and make informed decisions wherever possible. It certainly isn’t easy though…
Thank you for the information. I always buy free range eggs and birds. I can’t bear to think of them being caged.
This is a very enlightening post. I usually try to buy free range meat if I can afford it. Its heartbreaking to know how most of our meat animals live. There was a very good movie about an autistic woman who helped revolutionize the cattle industry. Her name is Temple Grandin. If you haven’t heard of her or seen the movie, you may want to check it out.
Deb, we’re the same!
Cat, I’ll check it out – thank you!
This really is informative- you do good research, Celia.
Here in the USA, my children buy organic.
I try to buy free-range.
Not the same, but they are more committed than I.
They have more money that I do, Heidi. I can’t afford $30 a chook!
Very interesting and you certainly did your homework. Thanks for passing on the information.
Absolutely great post Celia! I shall look out for the Frepa logo. I sometimes look at the egg display at the supermarket and marvel at how many types of eggs there are. Far too many I think. It should be much simpler.
Beth, thank you for stopping by!
Lorraine, thanks! You’re right, there just seems to be too choice in eggs – free range, barn laid, omega enhanced etc. As I mentioned, I have yet to find the FREPA logo on eggs, but it is easy to find it on free range chickens, at least in our part of the woods.
i wish there was an instance in the usa to regulate the meaning of free-range. the meat is presented as fresh off the farm, when in fact there are three or four large producers who own all the farms – and get this – they’re all standardized according to company specs. what this means for a lot of free-range organic chickens here: they’re packed up in sheds, which have a little door to a fenced-off grass area. because they can’t use antibiotics, they’re very worried about them getting sick, so they don’t allow them to get out the first two weeks. in each shed they house up to 20,000 birds – that’s pretty packed, and the grass area is a few square feets. by the time the little door opens, they’re used to their dark shed, and they’re afraid of the strong light in the doorway. three weeks later they’re done. the guidelines here prescribe the grower to provide grass area, not to see that the chickens actually use it. so all the pretty imagery at the market with the nice pasture and the chickens roaming around is just a load of BS. major BS.
a free-range chicken is not that expensive here, but you don’t really have any guarantee they really are free, and if you knew what they’re fed… i think organic is still better, because at least they’re not stuffed with all sorts of additives. the only way i can buy truly free range and organic chikens is to go a nearby farm. a small, family farm that will gladly let me look around to see exactly how they’re organized.
it’s been a lot time since i started buying only whole chickens. at whole foods a pound of breast is $7.99, but the whole chickens go for $2.99 per pound, less sometimes when they’re on sale. last time i got a young plump chicken for less than 4 bucks. it’s cheaper to get the whole bird, plus you have all the bones for stock, so nothing is wasted.
very interesting post, celia, thanks!
Dana, it’s a minefield, isn’t it? As I said, I think all we can do is make the best decisions we can, although it sounds like that’s hard to do where you are. It’s interesting that there aren’t free-range standards in the US comparable to what we have here.
Whole chickens are our preference too – both for freshness and price.
This is really interesting, Celia. I will be looking out for this label on my travels. The fast food chains really ruffle my feathers (excuse pun). On one hand I’m pleased to hear that RR is trialling free-range…but then on the other..I think, shouldn’t we just reduce our consumption and make choices that support less birds being ‘farmed’…?
I don’t know what the answer is, all I know is I only buy free-range but never exactly know how ‘free range’ it has been and that I’m also really glad we don’t live near any fast food outlets!! I wish Hugh FW campaigned in Aus. – I’ll never forget his shows on chicken production. Thanks for a thought provoking post :)
Chris, I do know what you’re saying, but I just don’t know that’s it’s economically viable for our family. We do choose to eat meat (and it is a choice, I know), and whilst I would love to source magnificently raised organic free range birds for our table, it’s just not something we can afford to do. We can’t even really afford to go organic, as it’s double the price of a standard free-range chicken. Plus I think the sort of chicken which would meet all our ideal requirements would need to come from quite a distance away, which then leads to issues about food miles.
You are right to question how “free range” a bird really is – I did, which is why I ended up on the phone to Meg from FREPA. All I know is that I’m so happy to have our own eggs now – I never need to make that choice at the supermarket again!
Interesting debate about frepa.
One thing that concerns me as a consumer is the fact that most free range birds on the market are produced by companies whose principle business is the production of intensively farmed chicken.ie ‘they are having a bob each way’. I dont see how you can do that if you really care about animal welfare.
Consumers I have met want to support companies that do not profit from factory farming ..ever.
If you care about animal welfare only support companies who do not intensively farm chickens .
Gregor
hmmm…the problem I have with “free range” is the size of flocks. Having too big a flock of chooks (more than 30 I think) causes the birds a lot of stress and a lot of fighting as they can never properly establish the pecking order (hence the need for beak trimming, etc). I like to buy free range (when I am not buying organic) as I like to think that the animals are treated better. But sadly that is not always the case. Apparently the ‘breeding’ of chickens for meat is so focussed around fast growth that many of them cannot support their own weight in the short time they have – so free roaming is not even possible or safe for them.
With eggs the RSPCA approved eggs might be an option? They might be caged but apparently some caged options are less cruel than so called free range ones. And when I read the statistics of how many more free range and organic eggs are sold in Australia than are actually grown it makes me want to weep…..and turn vegetarian again! Sorry to get on my soap box but this is one issue that gets me really annoyed. Needless to say, we don’t eat chicken very often in our house! And we keep our own (very spoiled) chooks for the majority of the eggs we consume.