Pasture-Raised Chicken: What It Actually Means

Pasture-raised chicken generally communicates that birds spend meaningful time on outdoor ground or vegetation. The term can be useful, but it should not be treated as a complete description of how the birds were raised.

Outdoor access can vary

Farms may use permanent shelters, mobile shelters or other systems that allow birds to access outdoor areas. The amount and timing of outdoor access can depend on weather, bird age, farm design and predator pressure.

Pasture is not the whole diet

Chickens may forage for plants, seeds and insects when outdoors, but they still require appropriate nutrition. Producers commonly provide formulated or balanced feed to meet the birds’ nutritional requirements.

Alberta weather matters

Outdoor poultry production has to account for temperature extremes, storms, wet conditions and predators. A responsible pasture system therefore includes decisions about shelter and when outdoor access is appropriate.

Separate one claim from another

Pasture-raised does not automatically mean organic, raised without antibiotics, grain-free or processed on the farm. Those are separate practices or claims.

Farm-direct buying gives consumers an opportunity to ask about each practice individually.