Ah...the memories. I grew up in a rural area and we always had free range chickens. They had a coop but wandered around picking away eating bugs and seeds. We did feed them every day, but in the summer they didn't need much. The eggs were unbelievable - yokes were a deep, rich orange that tasted far superior to anything in the store. Any baked goods, pancakes or omeletes were far superior and noticably better tasting.
We also raised large capons for eating - same thing. Their skin is a dark orange and meat was much richer. People could not beleive how much better they tasted.