one of the common features of free-range systems of poultry-keeping is that

Answer Details

The free-range system of poultry keeping is defined by its most fundamental characteristic: it allows birds to roam freely over a designated area during the day. Birds have access to open outdoor space where they can forage for insects, seeds, and vegetation, and they return to a shelter or house at night for protection.

This freedom of movement is the distinguishing feature that separates free-range from other systems such as the battery cage system (where birds are confined in cages) or the deep litter system (where birds are kept indoors on a thick layer of litter material).

The other options describe misconceptions or incorrect generalisations. Egg production from free-range birds is not necessarily low; production depends on breed, nutrition, and management. Free-range birds are actually more exposed to poultry diseases and parasites than birds in confined systems because they come into contact with wild birds, contaminated soil, and other disease vectors. Free-range systems typically involve lower costs than intensive systems because they require less housing infrastructure, less purchased feed (birds supplement their diet through foraging), and less equipment.