Farming has a plethora of benefits for not only the owner of the farm, but also for the people who are linked to the process. The same is equally true for the chicken farming which has a wide variety of benefits for everyone. The term free range chicken has been confused till now. In reality, free range chickens are those who wander here and there with their little hen hearts. The second definition asserts that free range chickens are those which are brought up in the outdoor settings. Whenever you enter the grocery store, you are sure to find chicken in a wide variety of tagging ranging from free range to organic and even to no-antibiotics. Although there are a number of health benefits of making use of the free range chicken, still you should try to look beyond the tagging to the source where the chicken meat comes from.
Health Benefits
There are various researches and studies that have confirmed that the benefits of using free roaming hens or chickens are countless. One such study is the one that was published by the Penn State University. Below are some of the health benefits of free range chicken.
Higher Meat Quality
The very first benefit to health provided by is the quality of meat which is much better than other forms of chicken. The prime reason for this is the fact that these free range hens have access to various insects and organisms which are rich in protein and other minerals. All of the researchers in the domain of poultry farming are of the view that the meat quality is positively effectuated by the insects consumed by the chicken.
Lower Feed Cost
As the chickens are brought in the open air setting, so the feed cost is sure to be low. Furthermore, raising free range chickens also a number of benefits to the environment, as they come to eat most of the insects which are present in access in the environment.
More Flavorful
As the chickens are grown up in a healthy setting, so a more deep and pleasant flavor is not much of a surprise. Furthermore, the bones also come to be stronger as the animals are always in the state of movement in a large area.
No Presence of Antibiotics
Another major benefit of the free range poultry is the no presence of antibiotics in the meat and the entire body. Contrary to this, the chicken brought in the industry settings is given various forms of antibiotics, but that is not the case with the free range hens.
Stress Free
The caged animals have higher chances of developing stress and irrational behaviors, thus leading to some diseases. But this is not the case with the free range ones.
Higher Egg Quality
Another major benefit of using the free range chickens lies is higher levels of egg quality.These eggs contain rich amount of amino acid and protein as well as omega-3 which our body needed. This has been confirmed by a large number of people who make use of the eggs laid by this chicken.
USDA Approved
The free range chicken meat has been subject to a great deal of research and is now highly approved and recommended by USDA and other food regulation authorities. Now this is something which you are not always going to find in making use of the industry based chickens.
This is some great information, and I appreciate your point that organic chicken provides better meat. I’ve recently been looking at changing my diet to include more natural and organic foods, but so far it has mostly been vegetables. I’ll definitely look into switching to organic chicken so I can eat healthier meat as well. Thanks for the great post!
Thanks for the information. Please what is the comparative growth rate between the free range chicken and the confined?