Difference between Free Range and Organic

Free-range and organic are certifications that the US Department of Agriculture gives to chickens meant for consumption; they cover different aspects of how the chicken was raised. The US awards these certification but in other countries, while not awarded or monitored per say, the concept of raising battery farm, free-range and organic chicken are still practised.

A chicken raised for food in a battery farm is often limited of its movement, injected with steroids, hormones or antibiotics and slaughtered before the it reaches adulthood. Battery farms are legal the world over, and often chickens from these farms are cheaper and have better value economically. However, the conditions these chickens are brought up in are often viewed as unethical, and the medications pumped into them are proven to be unhealthy. People therefore  look to consume chickens that are raised differently.

Chicken labelled organic must only be fed feed that has been cultivated without any pesticides, or artificial fertilizers. Organic chickens spend a majority of their time with access to the out-doors (they may be temporarily caged while receiving medical treatment or if the soil or water in the outdoor farm either needs protection, or has pH levels dangerous for the chickens – in which case the pH level must be fixed).

Organic chickens never receive any hormonal or antibiotic treatment at any time (at the egg stage or even the post slaughter stage).

If farmers want to label their chicken as free-range, they have to prove that the chickens have unrestricted access to the outdoors for the majority of their lives. Free-Range chickens are not exempted from inoculations, hormone treatment, or a feed restriction. A farmer purporting to have free-range chickens thereby only needs to prove that his chickens can go outside (not necessary that they do), and nothing more.

Instructions

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    Free Range

    This is a term which is used to denote a method of farming, where animals are allowed to move about freely on the farm. They are not kept in confined spaces and are allowed to move about looking for food. However, these free range farms are usually encaged, only offering far more space for the animals to move about, when compared to a normal farm.

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    Organic Food

    This is a word that is used to refer to food, that is produced using the method of organic farming. This means that the food is grown without any synthetic material, or any chemical fertilizers. These food items are also not processed in any way.

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