Free range is a term which outside of the United States denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and indicate that the animal has been allowed access to the outside. The USDA regulations do not specify the quality or size of the outside range nor the duration of time an animal must have access to the outside.

The term is used in two senses that do not overlap completely: as a farmer-centric description of husbandry methods, and as a consumer-centric description of them. Farmers practice free range to achieve free-range or humane certification, to reduce feed costs, to produce a higher-quality product, and as a method of raising multiple crops on the same land.

Free range may apply to meat, eggs or dairy farming.

In ranching, free-range livestock are permitted to roam without being fenced in, as opposed to fenced-in pastures. In many of the agriculture-based economies, free-range livestock are quite common.

There is a diet where the practitioner only eats meat from free-range sources called ethical omnivorism, which is a type of semivegetarian.

Noun

cage f. (plural cages)

1. cage

   "La Cage aux Folles" -- The Bird Cage

2. (soccer, colloquial) area, penalty area

• caja
• cajon
• cave
• cavity

• Shopping: Food: Meat: Natural and Organic (21)
• Shopping: Food: Organic (27)

• Oaklyn Plantation
  freerangechicken.com
  Free range chicken.
• Thousand Hills Farm
  thousandhillsfarm.blogspot.com
  Offers certified free range chickens and turkeys; custom plucking (by appointment). Beef and pork also available.
• Twin Hens
  twinhens.com
  Offers ready-to-bake pot pies, made with organic produce and free range chicken. Includes articles, gift and serving suggestions, and ingredient list.