Organic advocates ask USDA to make egg farmers give hens time in pasture, not just enclosures

A lot of leeway is given to the definition of free-range and pastured poultry.  One interpretation is that if a bird has access to the outdoors they can be labeled as free-range, or pastured.  Even though the outdoors may be a fenced enclosure on concrete.  Here is a link to the article:

Organic advocates ask USDA to make egg farmers give hens more time in pastures.

This is still better than this.

But still not as good as this.

This is why it is so important to research and know where your food comes from.  I used to feel good about purchasing chicken that was free-range only to find our later that they were raised in the same commercial chicken houses with a concrete yard to wander into.

All of our chickens are raised outdoors and go into coops at night.   Our chickens have the option to go anywhere they want to and express their true chickeness.  Don't really know if that's a word, but it should be.  They return to their coop at night and we close the door to protect them from predators.  The next morning we go back out and let them out.  Do they look happier?  Yes.  For most chickens this is as good as it gets...unless you're a mascot.