What is free range?

Posted by Samantha Rufle Dec 1, 2007

At Thanksgiving I was watching the news and the program had a segment with what they called a "turkey expert". They were standing outside the pen where he keeps what he calls "sheltered free range turkeys". I was shocked that he could call them that. They were hardly free range. It looked like ten to fifteen birds to a ten by ten or maybe a fifteen by fifteen pen. Sure they could walk around a little but it wasn't any kind of life. How can he claim they are free range? I mean the words free range give my mind the image of animals roaming free on a farm. Happily eating and playing in the morning sun.

As it is I have to let go of the idea that these animals are often killed quite young. So this free range thing is really weighing on me.The turkey farmer on the news program said that this is what was best for them. I beg to differ. Wild turkeys do not build pens and then NEVER leave them! In human terms, this is the life of a shut in! We see this lifestyle as tragic.

So next time you purchase a free range meat- realize that you pictures of animals running across open fields of grass in the sunny morn' is just not reality.