What does free range refer to?

Essentially it means animals are not confined to a tiny cage or pen that they cannot move freely in or are crowded into. Though livestock always have to be confined during their lives, free-range just means that these livestock that are normally confined in a confined feeding operation--such as dairy cows, poultry and hogs--are kept in a much larger enclosure often outdoors where they are free to be their natural selves with their natural food provided in such a way---often as natural as possible--that they have to go looking for it. For instance, dairy cows are free to graze grass, chickens are free to peck the ground in search of bugs and grain, and hogs are free to root around wherever they like.