Why Should I Eat Free Range or Organic Chicken?

There can be no doubt that battery farmed chickens are considerably less expensive than either free range or organically farmed birds. So why should we make the effort and pay extra for these more humanely treated chickens? Do they really taste better? Are they really better for us? On this site, it is my intention to explore this conundrum in at least a little bit more detail and hopefully go at least some way to providing you with some answers.

The vast majority of us will have heard of the terms "free range, "organic" and "battery," but how many of us are fully aware of what they mean? A brief explanation of each may be a good launching pad from which to start our journey of exploration.

Battery Farmed Chickens

These chickens account for more than ninety percent of the chicken meat sold in the UK today. These are chickens which live their entire lives crammed into battery cages, up to nineteen of them per square metre, with no room to move, eat, drink...or even properly defecate. They are often force-fed or injected with chemical growth enhancers to speed up their rate of growth and this process can lead to their legs being unable to support them and the chickens being forced to lie in their own droppings, the ammonia from which can burn the flesh, a fact which can often be seen in an unpleasant reddish/purple discolouration on the subsequently cleaned breasts.

Free Range Chickens

These chickens have the freedom of a barn or compound in which to move around, feeding themselves and exercising properly. It is a significant step up from the battery procedures but these chickens too are often still given chemical growth stimulators and, as with battery chickens, the male chicks are all too frequently killed immediately after birth, as of course they are incapable of laying eggs.

Organic Chickens

The most expensive chicken to buy is - you may not be surprised to learn - organic chicken. These chickens are a further step up the ladder in humane farming practices in that they not only have the freedom of movement but are fed only natural food and are not treated with any form of chemical stimulators. It has been claimed by some that this leads to more fat on the birds and consequently less meat and value for money...but I think I am quite sure which option I prefer!