This publication serves to review what is known about poultry egg and meat production with specific attention to available research on free-range production systems. Stressors related to alternatively housed and managed birds, as well as the known advantages and disadvantages for farmers, are reviewed. Food quality and food safety in regard to poultry meat and eggs are often understood by farmers and consumers as one and the same. Clarification of food quality and food safety with regard to poultry production systems will be discussed. The role of farming systems in disease control is included in this discussion. Attention to the environmental system, soil contamination, and manure burdens placed on the land by free-range poultry is also considered. This consolidation of information is aimed at helping further the discussion of free-range poultry as it pertains to larger farming systems and the future of this growing field of niche market poultry production.

Cochairs: Jacquie Jacob and Tony Pescatore, University of Kentucky. IP61, July 2018, 20 pp. Available free online and in print (fee for shipping/handling).

Publication Impact Report (final) – July 2020