Thanks Ron I did find it interesting. I did some further snooping and discovered what "free range " can mean. If a chicken is allowed to have access to the outdoors in this roughly 5 minute time span, the poultry can be considered "free range" There are no other federal regulative criteria beyond this. In other words all a chicken plant needs to do is open a door which creates the access. The chickens do not have to go outside let alone actually "range" about to be considered free range poultry.
Big chicken raising operations have to be very carefull of their procedures.
One sick chicken can wipe out thousands. They usually block any human access other than the workers or government inspectors.
Best thing to do, if you can, is raise most of your own food, freeze it, can it, and eat it fresh in season. We even bake our own bread. They say commercial bread has more salt than potato chips or popcorn.
But that is not our reason. Flavor,ingredients, and cleanliness are the main reasons for raising and cooking our own stuff.. We are not vegetarians but we eat and enjoy a majority of vegetables and fruits that we raise ourselves along with purchased vegetables and fruit mostly well washed and eaten raw. My wife has a sweet tooth and bakes pastry that would win 1st prize in any contest.
We are both overweight, according to standards, but are working on it. I have used a treadmill almost daily for over 3 years and she has worn out 1 stationary bycycle putting over 4,000 miles on it and working on a new one, 5 miles everytime. And of course with a small farm there is always some physical activity, over and above what town folks even know about.
We have the greatest respect for TxDon and others that have decided to have a diet lifestyle that is much more restrictive than our own. His experience and references to data shows that self determination can win.
He just doesn't talk the talk. He walks the walk.
My reading and participating in these forums to some extent is good brain food for me.
Spring will be here soon so the time available for browsing TBN will be greatly reduced for most folks up this way.
