page_title: Poultry farming
section_title: Free-range broilers
hierarchical_section_title: Poultry farming / Meat-producing chickens – husbandry systems / Free-range broilers
caption_attribution_description: Turkeys at an organic farm in the UK.
context_page_description: Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. It has originated from the agricultural era. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion chickens are killed for consumption annually. Chickens raised for eggs are known as layers, while chickens raised for meat are called broilers.
  In the United States, the national organization overseeing poultry production is the Food and Drug Administration. In the UK, the national organisation is the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
context_section_description: Free-range broilers are reared under similar conditions to free-range egg-laying hens.  The breeds grow more slowly than those used for indoor rearing and usually reach slaughter weight at approximately 8 weeks of age. In the EU, each chicken must have one square metre of outdoor space.  The benefits of free-range poultry farming include opportunities for natural behaviours such as pecking, scratching, foraging and exercise outdoors. Because they grow slower and have opportunities for exercise, free-range broilers often have better leg and heart health.
caption: Turkeys on pasture at an organic farm
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