So why are free range chickens more expensive?
Our chickens are a minimum of 10 weeks old whereas intensively reared birds, the kind you might usually buy in the supermarket, would only be 6 weeks old. The price difference between a free-range chicken and a battery bird is mainly due to that age gap – the cost of the extra feed and the extra work involved.
Free-range chicken farming is also generally more labour intensive – letting the birds out, putting them away at night, checking perimeter fences and cleaning out the smaller units they live in all has to be done by hand.
We honestly feel that it is impossible to produce and sell a genuinely free-range chicken for less than £10 so if you are offered one for less, be suspicious!
The advantages of buying free-range produce?
It’s more natural. The birds are not in cramped conditions and because they roam, they don’t get the hock burns so commonly associated with battery chickens. Free range chickens are bigger, typically between 2.2 and 2.5 kg. Because they grow more slowly, the meat has better texture and better flavour.