What is Freedom Farming ?

“Freedom Farming, it’s about providing great value products you can feel good about, with a new approach to farming and sustainable animal welfare.”

Let’s face it, when it comes to chicken products in Australia, everyone’s pretty confused. And who wouldn’t be. Organic, free range, barn reared, cage free, hormone free – what’s it all mean?! We believe Aussie families simply want some honest, down to earth facts and a product they can feel good about.

We‟re all about balance, reality and presenting facts as they are. Our model is based on an approach that says a middle ground is what’s needed to provide for the interests of all; be it our animals, our farmers, our customers or our environment.

The simple fact is, the world does need to eat and realistically for most of us, that also means we need our food to be affordable. Sometimes we’re made to feel that unless we can afford the most premium products, we’re not making responsible buying choices. Well we’re here to tell you that’s not the case!!

“Freedom Farms is all about giving Australia the freedom to choose higher welfare chicken products that are affordable and in reach of all shoppers.”

Organic

Organic chickens are grown generally in the same way as free range chickens with some additional requirements. Whilst all chickens, no matter the farming method are fed a grain based diet, organic chickens must be fed on predominantly certified organic ingredients. The use of vaccinations are also limited where possible and some more specific guidelines in relation to the outdoor area exist.

There is absolutely no difference between organic chickens and any other farming method including normal conventional chickens, in relation to the use of steroids or hormones. No chickens in Australia are fed or administered steroids or hormones in any way.

Free Range

Free range chickens are produced using similar management, housing and feeding practices as normal conventionally farmed chickens. As well as the conventional barn, the chickens have access to an outdoor run for part of each day for a portion of the growing period. In the earlier stages of growing, the chickens are kept indoors to protect them from the elements. Free range systems have a lower stocking density than conventionally farmed chickens.

Barn Raised, Cage Free & Range Reared

All of these terms are descriptions that have been used by producers in relation to normal, conventional chicken farming, in an attempt to help consumers understand that there are in fact no cages used in the growing of meat chickens. Understandably, many people don't understand that there are two completely separate farming industries: one that produces chickens for meat and another that farms chickens to produce eggs. The breeds of chicken are also very different, with the egg producing chickens being a smaller breed than the meat chickens.

The egg industry for many years used cages as the main means of housing their laying chickens. The commonly seen video footage of chickens in cages comes from this practise. Chickens farmed for meat in Australia have never been housed in caged systems as these. Meat chickens are housed in large, cage free barns where the chickens can move about.

But where did the eggs for these "meat chickens" come from – does that mean they may have been laid by chickens that were in cages? No. Even the chickens that lay the eggs for the meat industry are not kept in cages. They too live in large open barns with the addition of elevated nesting boxes for laying their eggs.

Hormones & Steroids

No chickens in Australia are fed or administered steroids or hormones in any way. This applies to all farming methods including conventional, organic, free range or Freedom Farmed. Testing conducted by the government confirms this fact on a regular basis. The question is often asked; how do the chickens grow so quickly if they're not given steroids?

There are many different breeds of chicken – some are fast growing breeds and others are slow growing breeds. The chickens that are used for meat production are naturally fast growing breeds that have been selectively bred for some 60 years. These improved genetics combined with good husbandry and precisely formulated nutritional requirements, means that meat chickens reach their optimal size quicker than another breed would.

What is Freedom Farming ?

Contact

Quick Links

Organic

Free Range

Barn Raised, Cage Free & Range Reared

Hormones & Steroids