Free Range Eggs

[Evorg Enaj]

Do you know that there are Official Classifications for Free Range Eggs? It is that (1) Free Range means that the hen can just about reach open air (2) Traditional Free Range means that the hens are kept in a density of 12 to the square metre, and (3) Total Freedom Free Range means that the hens can get out of doors. Looking in Tesco's this morning I could not find Classifications 2 & 3. Have you seen any?

[beryllium]

Hello Evorg,
Do you have a farm shop near you? or even better....... do you have a garden to keep a couple of chickens?

[Psychick]

Or neighbours with chickens...nick their eggs....joking!!
Free range chickens get lined up and taken for excercise periods round the perimeter of their run twice a day! Actually its far off the truth. For a bird to be considered free range, it has to have had availability to an outdoor run during the day for at least half its lifetime.....but this only has to be 1 square meter!!

[lafrancaise]

This is where it's maybe more animal friendly to buy organic eggs (they have to be raised outdoors with a certain space and fed with organic grain and able to peck at worms, insects etc.).

By the way, what does the red tractor indicate in the UK ( I don't live in the UK) I thought this indicated a friendly approach to animals etc Can you tell me what it is exactly?

[Evorg Enaj]

Red Tractor is an Assured Foods Standard mark and is described here
http://www.redtractor.org.uk/site/rt_page.php? section_id=2&page_id=48

[cameo]

I've just checked my egg carton - medium free range eggs bought from Tesco.
It states,'Fresh eggs laid by hens with freedom to roam outdoors during the day'.
Inside the box it states,'These Free Range eggs have been laid by hens that have constant access to range outdoors during daylight hours'.
So now I'm confused! Are they lying?

[Evorg Enaj]

Probably not if you read the descriptions carefully. Class (1) Free Range means that a hen can just about reach the open air, presumably several times a day, which would seem to fit your Tesco's description. But it's a lot different from what I thought. I thought that Free Range meant 20 or 30 hens happily clucking and laying away in a half acre orchard somewhere. It seems that even Class (3) may be a very long way short of this.

[SHEHE]

If you live near a farm go and buy them there as you will see them doing what they do best , scratching the earth and having a dirt bath . These eggs have a different taste to the Free Range from the shops. The yolks will be sunshine yellow as they are fed on corn , they have to be cooked a bit longer as they are so fresh . Lovely dippy boiled egg for breakfast with soldiers you can't bet it !!!