Chickens are people too!

There's been a lot of programmes this week about the treatment of chickens. I turned vegetarian about 2 months ago and do NOT preach at other people to become vegetarian. But I think it's really important for animals to be treated right even if you do eat them.

Jamie Oliver's programme and that other chef pointed out some interesting things about battery (for eggs) and barn chickens (for meat).

1. There is 3 - 4 chickens to a cage in battery farming.

2. There is 17 chickens per square metre in barn farming.

3. Male chicks are killed by a chamber which simply stops oxygen getting to them, and then they go into food like chicken nuggets and dog food.

4. Chickens for meat are killed at 5 1/2 weeks old.

5. Barn chickens see nonatural light or fresh air. If too much light gets into barn chickens they resort to cannabalism, they also loose feathers in places.

6. Battery cage chickens see no natural light or fresh airare staked above other chickens so excrement falls onto other
chickens. These are ill chickens man.

7. Farmers in Britain earn 3 PENCE per chicken.

I'd like to stress the point that this is not propaganda, I'm not trying to make you all vegetarian I just think these facts are interesting and hope that you choose to buy free range from now on if you don't already.

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27 replies since 11th January 2008 • Last reply 11th January 2008

Reply #1:

I always go for my free range organic eggs, on the rare occurrences when I do buy meat, I always eat the Icelandic stuff(i live there) as I know the places a lot better than I do the farms, than if it has been imported.
I have seen so many horrible videos and photos of the poor hens and chickens stuffed into cages Happy very sad

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Reply #2:

Didn't they ban battery chicken eggs in the UK this week? I totally agree, we only get organic or free range these days.

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Reply #3:

'that other chef'!? It's hugh fearnly whittingstall, and i LOVE him.

but yeah I mean I totally agree. i think i'm going to do a thing where if i can't afford the proper stuff, then i just won't buy the cheapo. It's the free-range or nothing.

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Reply #4:

yeh sometimes it seems so much easier to buy the cheap stuff, especially here for me with the meat, but we try to buy the best when we buy.
Humans should be ashamed that things like battery eggs exist Happy

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Reply #5:

really...i am a meat-eater, but my family's gone organic

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Reply #6:

Cat, they're banning battery farming but it's not going to be everywhere for a few years yet.

I'm vegetarian but I make my parents buy the proper stuff. I also refuse to eat eggs unless they're free range. I wanted to watch that show but I just can't stand seeing animals suffering.

And I agree Opposites, I don't know how people can think it's acceptable to treat another human being like that.

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Reply #7:

A few years ago they said they would be banning battery farming and now they've said it will definatly happen in 5 years. Waitrose will stop stocking anything that isnt free range from february but I don't know where the nearest one is. Sligtly random: in the metro a mum bought some eggs from waitrose and let her daughter but 2 in an incubator and they hatched!!!!!!!!! On websites promoting vegetarianism/veganism they seem to think its the farmers being ignorant and wanting all this money but they have to do things this way because who they supply would just turn to another farmer who could provide stock quicker.

my mum once had to buy barn eggs because she really didnt have enough money to buy free range but most of the time its free range and it's something ive known about since I was little, she used to buy quorn burgers and for ages I thought that was what a burger tasted like, she started buying meat from butchers and then i cut meat out all together, she had just bought all this proper meat and i didnt want any haha

I had to turn away a few times watching that programme because I saw a chick get its neck broken and killed at a day old on hugh fearnly whittingstall's (thanks roma Happy ) programme and I burst into tears!

What I never thought about is how in things store bought like cakes, biscuits and mayo etc the companies are probably not using free range so I'm going to try to make a lot of things at home.

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Reply #8:

I didn't find it as bad you guys are saying. I'm not a proper vegetarian, but I am really enthusiastic about vegetarian food. I think people deserve to know what happens, so I'm all for the programs but I totally think it's people's choice too. I don't think it's fair on the chickens at all, but I mean I can understand things like the male chicks getting killed.

the one thing i did find really weird, not like horrific, but eerie, was the chicken factory that jamie oliver went to. The one with loads of chicks on conveyer belts, as if they were some inanimate objects. It was just really bizarre.

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Reply #9:

yep me too.

The thing is who would really choose to buy something that's lived like that, obviously some people have to because of money issues but there's not much of a choice either free range or not and most people don't even know the difference.

Those male chicks could be sent to farm and bred for meat...free range mind!

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Reply #10:

Yeah but they'd die in the end anyway. They were used for meat instantly. If they were taken to a farm it'd just be prolonging an eventuality. It's just a casualty that happens, and it's unfortunate but it works. Snakes get fed, and Iceland's freezers get full of chicken nuggets.

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Reply #11:

yeh thats true about the snake food and stuff...it's an eventuality sure but i think that the short life they lead should at least be nice, its horrible thinking that we've all eaten these chickens who lived like that.

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Reply #12:

It's just when you know that they've been fed to the point where they become crippled and have to peck each other to death to survive that I get freaked out.

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Reply #13:

yeh they're ill basically, I was saying this to two mates today. They agreed and were serious, I'm getting a bit fed up about most people joking about veggies etc. If it comes up it always sparks people going on about why they eat meat and stuff when I never say 'you shouldn't eat meat!' I'm hardly miss vegetarian of the year i've only been a vegetarian for nearly 3 months lol they're only joking but it's something i believe in 'we need meat to survive' im still alive! and I'm healthier than ever!

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Reply #14:

Yes when I was around 13 I went veggie for a few months and I got made the joke of all the time, esp when I went to stay with my uncle who is a butcher!! He just took the piss the whole time! I eventually went back to meat then stopped eating red meat around 18/19 for more than two years I think, A bad burger king experience!
I eat it now but not a lot.

I feel good as the eggs I bought yesterday where free range Happy I hadn't found some that actually said it on the box in English but the ones I got did Happy they were pretty tasty

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