Ex-Battery Hens

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Ex-Battery Hens
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 05 10:08 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

Madman wrote:

I'm no raving communist agitator of the back to mother nature world, but I was shown around the battery farm when I got my chooks, and was appalled!....they consider themselves a market leader of battery farming, but the filth, the skips full of chicken corpses, the aggression between birds in confined spaces.....show people that and see if they won't buy fre range!!

I always buy so called free range now, but still need some convincing that supermarket free range is really than much better than battery

jema

If you can get to see them or find out some more it may help. One of the good things where we are is a local farm we can walk to that sells eggs. You can chat to the hens in a field when you pick up the eggs.

Perhaps we need to do something to help people track down where the food comes from. Two types of eggs may be called free range but one may be an over crowded barn farm and the other a field of free ranging happy hens.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 05 10:11 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

Some friends are in that fortunate position, a farm with an honesty box, where you can see the hens

But you can bet supermarkets free range are at the bare minimum standard, and I have always understood this to be a pretty poor standard.

jema

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 05 10:11 pm Post subject:
I used the Yellow Pages to find a chicken farm, and rang them, and said can I buy some of your chickens!....It really was as straight forward as that! Lloyd

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 05 10:12 pm Post subject:
Treacodactyl, agree with you entirely. That's the reason I personally don't eat meat - I spent a great deal of my childhood on a small farm.

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 05 10:13 pm Post subject:
Lloyd, thanks for that information.

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 05 10:17 pm Post subject:

I think "Free Range" is almost meaningless in the commercial sense. It certainly wouldn't match up to our idea of what we consider Free Range.

On a seperate note, a few years back, I was quietly stalking a rabbit in a coppice. Two tenneage girls walked past about 50 metres away on a footpath, and saw me. They shouted "murderer!"....to which I replied "Don't you eat meat then?"....and their reply...."Fascist murderer!"..

...But yes, the point is, meat doesn't come out of cellophane packs, it comes out of animale, and in our sanitised granny state, most people have no contact with all the stages of food production.

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 05 2:55 pm Post subject:
Just to let you know I've had an e-mail back from Jane Howarth - the lady who has website https://www.thehenshouse.co.uk. She has supplied me with some useful information. Am going to e-mail her back - I think she could be a useful contact for some of our members.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 05 9:37 pm Post subject:
Gertie, when you next contact her remind her that I was telling her about the site, when I picked up my hens recently. she was very interested and said she would give us an article.

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 05 10:05 pm Post subject:
Only wish I lived closer to her, so I could have a few.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 05 10:11 pm Post subject:
Madman Look up in the yellow pages your local egg facotry. If you can't find it, have a look on egg boxes at the supermarket, local butcher etc and get a number. They will sell to most people, as long as you arrive on time and don't say anything about their particular set up. Best not to look too closely!

organic john

Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 95
Location: Raunds, Northants

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 05 10:29 pm Post subject:
is there a high demand for ex battry hens if so mite buy a few in and sell them on

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Jan 29, 05 10:31 pm Post subject:
The demand comes from feeling you are doing something worthwhile. I use them to demonstrate to members of teh public about the battery system compared to the free range system. we have a lot of people staying here in the summer an they become a talking point. I am not sure how much you could sell them for once they have gone through the moult, but they would have a value.

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Sun Jan 30, 05 1:08 pm Post subject:

Hey Madman, I live in Yorkshire and when I e-mailed Jane Howarth she e-mailed me back to say that she does have a number of co-ordinators dotted here and there. I bet Jane could help you.

Incidentally, I have told Jane about Downsizer and I am hoping that she is going to come and have a look at the site and hopefully have something to say to our members who may be interested.

If you would like to check our Jane's site and e-mail her yourself or just have a look to see the work she does it is:

https://thehenshouse.co.uk

Alison, I think that is great what you are doing as well, educating people, especially the young, about the chicken/egg process (sounds a bit horrible that, sorry!).

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45670
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Jan 30, 05 1:22 pm Post subject:
Useful link, I've just added it to Web Links

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Sun Jan 30, 05 7:00 pm Post subject:
Thanx Gertie, I'll email her. Lloyd

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