Why is free range bad?

Raising animals in a "free range" environment isn't bad, it's just more expensive. Free range livestock are kept in a more open, natural environment which allows them to "range" around to forage. Most farmers raising such livestock do so with the intent of being able to sell them at a higher price to counteract the greater expense per bird or per egg. These animals tend to be more prone to disease and wild animal attack, so the farmer must add a percentage of cost to the animals sold to pay for the ones lost.