What it can look like.

Remember just because it says cage free or free range doesn't mean it is.  The term is not regulated or enforced.  But, you can always look for a third party endorsement that shows the farm does indeed produce what it says it does.  These animals come from Ayrshire farms in Northern Virginia, who also practice organic farming and raise Heritage (rare breeds) as factory farming has caused the extinction of many breeds of animals that do not grow large enough or fast enough for commercial consumption.








Heritage (Rare) Breeds are breeds of domestic livestock which have been by-passed by post-war intensive hybridization (via artificial insemination, egg-flushing, and cloning). Hybridized animals have body types which are optimized for large-scale (factory) farming. In many cases, this results in animals which are no longer able to mate naturally (turkeys), stand without support (hogs), survive structurally for a natural life-time (dairy cattle), or walk in a natural manner (beef cattle). The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy maintains genetic records of these endangered livestock breeds and encourages their husbandry by assisting farmers who wish to raise traditional livestock because of their superior texture and flavor, ensuring the survival of these heritage breeds and the health of the domestic farm animal genetic pool.