survivalgardener
Take a look at the chicken labels next time you go shopping. As someone who raises their own, this new trend is getting pretty annoying.
few windows in the ceiling for light. But…….No cages! If the label says “free range”, it only means they are allowed access to the outside. (could be 10min a day or none…..as long as there’s a door accessible by the 10,000-20,000 chickens in the warehouse)
What about all the images of chickens in little cages? To clarify, hens are often raised in cages for egg production. So, if you buy eggs that say “cage free” it’s a relevant claim. Whether or not there’s any benefit to cage free eggs is another discussion. For meat chickens, cages are costly, take up space and are not ideal for growth.
Top 4 Myths About Mass Produced Chicken Debunked
1. Most chickens are raised on steroids and hormones. There are NO HORMONES OR STEROIDS approved by the USDA for use in any meat poultry. Link 2. You should be chicken that’s labeled cage free. All meat chickens are “cage free”. The fact is, there are usually thousands of chicken packed into a warehouse with a
few windows in the ceiling for light. But…….No cages! If the label says “free range”, it only means they are allowed access to the outside. (could be 10min a day or none…..as long as there’s a door accessible by the 10,000-20,000 chickens in the warehouse)
What about all the images of chickens in little cages? To clarify, hens are often raised in cages for egg production. So, if you buy eggs that say “cage free” it’s a relevant claim. Whether or not there’s any benefit to cage free eggs is another discussion. For meat chickens, cages are costly, take up space and are not ideal for growth.
3. You should buy chickens raised on a vegetarian diet.
Most mass-produced chickens are fed a steady vegetarian diet of corn and soy. This is actually a bad thing, in my opinion. Chickens are omnivores, they need to be eating a variety of bugs, scraps and forage.
4. You should buy non GMO Chicken.
There are currently zero GM (genetically modified) chickens in the poultry industry. Selective breeding….yes. Meat chickens are bred to have large breasts and tender meat. Whatever myth your aunt told you about headless KFC chickens is false. You couldn’t buy GMO poultry if you tried.
From my experience, these large breasted meat chickens are worthless as an outdoor farm chicken. They don’t forage, they die easily and they’re weak….but they’re tasty!
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