I don't know whereabouts in Suffook you are hun, but if its close enough, somewhere like this night be worth checking out...

The Suffolk Food Hall - welcome

Or look out for a local farmers market. they are cropping up everywhere now...even in town centres, as people who can't travel want the goods bringing to them!!

And I know how you feel about animals sweetie, bless you.....thats why I wanted to show you that there may be some places you haven't thought of

It was not directed at anyone in particular - I was just trying to pre empt a situation which normally arises as a result of threads like this.

No apologies necessary, yet LOL.

Phew... i think !!!

What a diamond you are...thanks sooo much for that hun...soooo much appericated xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ive gotta say, those pics dont really shock me either.

Pandora - cover your ears!!!! No, she's not for the pot, she's an egg girl only, although I'm told Marans make wonderful eating birds as well as layers. In the future Sean and I will be moving out to the country and I would love to be able to grow birds for the table as well, I'd know they had a wonderful life, which is the main thing, but could I kill them? The gutting and plucking isn't a problem, it's finding the most humane method to 'do the deed' quickly, there are a number of methods home rearers are allowed to use, but each has it's 'cons'. I'll probably decided when we actually move.

My girls are too young to lay yet, but the eggs I get from the farm are the best I've ever tasted, the supermarket free range eggs don't even come close.


Obviously we have to rely on the honesty of the food source - this is why I no longer buy meat/fish/poultry from a supermarket. I have had a guy in the supermarket swear blind the fish I wanted was swimming in the sea that morning, yet a quick sniff of it proved it rancid. The meat I have bought from there in the past has been awful.

Your best bet is to find a good butcher who can tell you exactly where his meat/poultry has come from and how they were kept, the good ones will be bothered about things like this. We go to a farm shop and local farmers markets to get the majority of our food and the quality is so much better, and a lot of the time it's cheaper than the supermarket.

But another thing about chickens being brought up in these conditions, apart from the humane aspect, is that they are full of FAT. They aren't the healthy bird a Free Ranger is, so people thinking that they're doing good by their children and family and feeding them this instead of red meat are being tricked into thinking it's a 'healthy option', when it isn't.

It's all down to education and choice, a lot of people eat these cheap chickens because they don't know about the conditions they are kept in, but unfortunately there will always be people who don't care, which I find really sad. We're never going to get rid of the cheap broiler chicken, but it would be nice if more people went over to the free range or, even at a push, the 'freedom food/RSPCA approved' option.

Fiona - I feel very, very strongly about this topic, but am 'minding my manners' and trying to be polite so this thread doesn't get closed on my account

Jackie

For me i knew how the chickens where raised that i ate...but my boys didnt....they watched this and from then on...they choose to eat free range......so its free range for us and it was the boys who made that decision, i think i would have carried on eating chicken/eggs / etc, without feelings of guilt and i probably would have switched the programme off to be honest....yep ignorance i suppose.........but i didnt switch over and watched with my boys we decided we would only choose free range...................
now for the money part...we eat free range eggs........but mother of 3 lads who eat alot as they are growing boys its a case of....free range chicken(expensive for me) or no chicken....so we hardly eat any chicken at all.....we are big lamb eaters and tuna (lol)......its cheaper...
i do get free range mayo...as the supermarkets do it.....
i have a specific budget each week for food....and if the boys and myself want to eat free range chicken then it has to be a treat/ a one off not part of a staple diet....

i can understand why people would buy caged chicken products.....money...its a struggle at the moment and free range chicken is not the easiest of options if you are skint...2 chickens cost the same as 1 free range chickens.....2 chickens can last a few meals...1 free range chicken cant......you cannot jump on people if the dont eat free range............really this has only come to light the past few years....alot of us where raised that caged chickens was the norm.....its only the next generation that is being told different.
consumer choice is still a consumers choice, armed with facts and choices if someone wants to make a decision either way who are we to point fingers....if the supply was stopped the demand would too....and thats down to powers that be to implement it

That's not something I would be proud of.

I purposefully didn't put the really bad pics up on this forum so as not to upset and offend people, there are plenty out there on the internet. Would a picture of puppies or kittens being treated in this manner not even tug at your heart?

Im not so much proud of it, but it is how i feel, so im not ashamed either. And no, not even if it were kittens or puppies would it bother me. Although that IS a completely different issue as they are kept as domestic animals in the UK, not food, much like your chickens. Even though they produce eggs for you, they are basically pets, you have named them!!

At the end of the day there are far worse things going on in the world than chickens being reared for meat in a way that some people may believe is unethical.

But let me ask, how many of those people have an item of clothing in their house that originated from a tiny sweat shop full of underage workers being expolited. How many of them wear leather shoes or even have a leather sofa from cows that may not be free range?! exactly.

I think we are going of the subject a bit here guys, its surely about doing what we can isnt it?? Making a difference and giving a toss!?!?
Cost is a huge issue for alot of people, so thats fair enough, but going so far as to say you just dont care?? hhmmm, I just dont get that!?

Anyway Ive had my say, Ive seen first hand how some animals are treated, and while weve mentioned puppies and kittens, if ever you were to see a puppy farm, you would be sick to your stomach!

I'll say no more!

xxxxxx

I think this could go on forever with the fors and against, I am an animal lover and do understand that some animals are not kept in the best of conditions. I am also gulity of buying the normal eggs and chickens ..... WHY Well for me it is the price I just couldnt afford to buy free-range and I am ashamed to say that I tend to ignore these programmes because what I dont know doesnt bother me.

I'd say that people who are concerned about the above matters make it a point to find out where their items come from, people who don't care obviously don't bother - that's their choice. I want to feel at ease with myself knowing I have bought as 'ethically' as possible, there'll always be people who don't bother, who have no interest whatsoever in how their food/clothing etc has been treated/manufactured, again, a very sad fact.

I always find it hard to understand the "who cares about the animals, there are people being treated just as bad in the world" argument. I could never trust or respect a person who condoned animal cruelty. I have much more faith in a person and their character if they show all round compassion for humans and animals. Sadly, this world is full of cruelty, none of which is fair, but if we have the means to try to change a part of it, then those of us who want to should be allowed to without being made to feel guilty that they haven't cured the world of cruelty to humans before trying to make some animals lives a little easier.

I've seen them too Hayls, another deplorable practice which the Government really should clamp down on, I've been in tears over it and some images will haunt me forever.

No, sorry, but who is trying to make who feel guilty with those pictures?! Do you see me telling you that your choice is wrong and you should be ashamed?! No. So Im not making anyone feel guilty about their choices, same as im not going to be made to feel guilty about my opinions on the matter. (please note, i dont say MY choices because i dont do the shopping, nor do i eat chicken / meat often anyway, and if i do i just eat what my mom buys, which may or may not be free range, i really dont know.) and for the record, i dont condone animal cruelty, but im afraid i dont see the 'animals' we eat as actual animals, they are livestock, food.

We live in a country with a freedom to choose and I'll respect the choice anyone makes, what ever my own view. If anyone feels very strongly they can only eat organically raised chickens then fine but no one should be made to feel bad for how they choose/need to eat

Oh I'm off for a pot noodle...that's not got anything bad in it has it??
Don't give me hell for additives please!!