Free-Range Eggs
Free-range production is regulated by the USDA. The chickens are cage free and have access to the outdoors. They’re fed chicken feed, but outdoor access means they may have a more diverse diet because they’re able to forage for bugs and plants. When outside the barn, they may also be susceptible to extreme weather and predators, like foxes, weasels, and hawks. Because this housing environment is more labor-intensive, involves greater risk to the birds and requires more space per hen, you can expect to pay a higher retail price for free-range eggs.
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Though free-range hens can access the outdoors, there’s no USDA regulation about how large an area it must be. Some free-range farms have large outdoor areas and some have smaller ones. The Certified Humane® labeling requirement for “Free Range” is a minimum of 2 sq. ft. of outdoor space per bird and that hens have access to the outdoors for at least 6 hours each day.29,30