anyone watching hugh tonight?

[kybirkin]

Channel 4 9pm 2nd part of his chicken experiment programme where he deliberately goes against his principles and rears "battery" hens to see what they go through. Really good last night - I especially loved the woman from the estate in Axminster who "took charge" of his community project - good woman who put him in his place by saying - "well hugh you want this trial to work you need to pay for X,Y,Z - we are happy to maintain it but we don't have the oney to set it up!"

Should be good but don't watch if you are squemish as I think it will be a bit sick making to night as the chicks get bigger!

[Purplecat]

we'll be watching. We rescue ex-battery hens and give them a good life, most of the ones that come to us still have a good laying life, some up to another 18months.

We also raise meat birds, only one or 2 so far but DH has ordered 25 day olds and they will be reared organic/free range. We don't have any issuse slaughtering for eating but I didn't like it last night when they were culling the sicky chicks.

[Girlzmum]

I watched it last night and will be watching on c4+1 at 10.

[kybirkin]

we'll be watching. We rescue ex-battery hens and give them a good life, most of the ones that come to us still have a good laying life, some up to another 18months.

We also raise meat birds, only one or 2 so far but DH has ordered 25 day olds and they will be reared organic/free range. We don't have any issuse slaughtering for eating but I didn't like it last night when they were culling the sicky chicks.

Wow things you never knew about MZers!! I really think you are doing something great! My mum has always had a thing about not eating chicken unless organic free range and now I really know where she and you are coming from - if I didn't have a bird phobia I would consider it but............ they flap and have beaks!!!!
Kay

[Easties]

How an animal is still allowed to be treated like this in this day and age is beyond me

If it were dogs or some other animal people would be up in arms so why not because it is chickens they are still animals at the end of the day

I will NEVER EVER AGAIN buy any other chicken but free range
I only buy free range eggs and the same is going to be for chicken as well now

That woman annoyed me though the single mum who was saying the only difference between the free range and the shed ones were that one lot go outside , im sorry but its so much more than that those birds had burns from their own urine for goodness sake

She also said she was a single mum and her budget wouldnt stretch to a free range chicken
Even when people pointed out it was only 50p extra a head
I understand what she is saying about price but after seeing something like that i would rather not eat chicken than buy one of those shed birds

[kybirkin]

Easties - I completely agree - I imagine if it were baby calfs or something like that her response would have been different but because it's just chickens people seem to see them differently. I also watched Kill it Cook it Eat it which was on BBC3 later and they had kid goats being reared and slaughtered humanely to show people the process - that was the complete opposite for me - the animals had been well cared for and the slaughter process although never nice to watch was humane and quick but still it put people off!

[Al1x]

Watching that chicken program last night really made me think. It was horrible and i really didn't realise what a bad condition the chickens were kept in. I only want to get free range in the future.

I love the sound of rescuing ex-battery hens... I've always wanted to have chickens for eggs in our garden.

[pix4bu]

Great thread, thanks for starting it. I am guilty of buying the cheaper chicken but after seeing yesterday's program, it's free range from now on. Hopefully, the majority will do the same. It will be interesting to see if any changes will be made in the supermarkets in weeks to come.

[kybirkin]

Power of the internet - MZ has what 10,000 members give or take - if we all stopped buying these chickens and persuaded 5 of our friends to do the same that would be 50,000 people - if they then each persuade 5 friends that is 1/4 million -same again would be 1 1/4 million people - I think by that time the supermarkets may start to take notice. I am not particularly militant but maybe we could help make a difference?

I know not everyone on MZ uses the forums so they won't see this and I know not everyone is in the UK but what happens in other countries - maybe Wokkies can tell us what the situation is like in Iceland?

[Netty]

I didn't see the chickens programme, but did watch some of "Kill it cook it ..."

I'm fully aware of live animals walking in one door, and being carried out of another, as we live very near to an abbatoire, but it was interesting to note the emotional difference between the 'cute kids' (goats) last night and the pigs the day before ...

[Easties]

Well we have just come back from tesco and 2 of the staff were talking about it in there and one said she was going free range as well

I defo will be now and as dp said we pay 6-8 pounds for lamb or beef so why not chicken

Also it cant be healthy for humans to eat something that has been kept in those conditions

[Easties]

for anyone that is interested

http://www.chickenout.tv/index.html

[kybirkin]

thanks Easties that is really interesting - i have signed up and emailed 5 friends!!

[Easties]

No probs sweet i have done the same :kisshands:

[kat]

Thanks for that have signed up also :)


Off this topic but did anyway watch erm... forgot what it was called now. Think it might have been "Kill it,Eat it,Cook it" the other night?

[smirnoff]

*polishes halo and ticks box that says VEGETARIAN!!!!!!!*

[Purplecat]

Wow things you never knew about MZers!! I really think you are doing something great! My mum has always had a thing about not eating chicken unless organic free range and now I really know where she and you are coming from - if I didn't have a bird phobia I would consider it but............ they flap and have beaks!!!!
Kay

It's quite easy to raise chickens, we're lucky as we have a 90 foot garden, it was in a state, but now the back half is all chicken, and the front shed is devoted to the brooders and growing pens ( I say shed, I've lived in smaller houses!)

DH was Allowed to get 4 - 6, but at one point, including chicks we had 22!!! All our chickens are either rescue or homebred ( till he orders his meat birds) It's sad coz some of them come to us in such a state, they don't know what to do when their first put on to grass, but they soon learn, and after a couple of weeks you wouldn't know any different.

[pix4bu]

for anyone that is interested

http://www.chickenout.tv/index.html

thanks, have added site to my blog