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babybird
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02 Apr 2014, 6:25 am

I don't often buy eggs, but I was surprised to hear that thousands of male chickens are slaughtered on day one simply because they are male.

The male chickens cannot be used for meat because they come from a hybrid type designed only to produce eggs and they are not for meat.

The article suggests that it might be a good idea to detect the sex of the chicken before it hatches so as to dispose of it more humanely.

In fact, I don't think I will buy eggs again. I feel a bit sick now.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... -your-eggs


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TallyMan
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02 Apr 2014, 8:31 am

My eggs are very ethical. I've got 3 hens roaming around the garden free range. They live a wonderful life and often come to help me when I'm working in the garden... I dig and they eat the bugs and worms unearthed. They also like to scratch up the seeds and seedling while I'm planting them which isn't so helpful, but I can't resist having them with me, chattering away amongst each other or to me. If I'm not digging up enough bugs/worms fast enough they peck my feet and ankles to urge me on. I literally am hen pecked.


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Sweetleaf
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02 Apr 2014, 9:49 am

I never liked eggs to begin with, they taste weird and its a little creepy to me eating a single cell organism for some reason. Maybe they should quit genetically modifying chickens. Seems like that is what has caused a lot of the issue, surely there are uses for male chickens aside from meat.....or do they artificially impregnate the female chickens rather than have a male and female chicken procreate naturally? Meh doesn't suprise me when I hear these stories about the food industry.


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Eccles_the_Mighty
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02 Apr 2014, 12:35 pm

Don't know, don't care. Omelette for tea tonight 8)


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02 Apr 2014, 12:49 pm

They're chickens' periods.

No, didn't put me off either.

The article does, however. :? That's an inhumane way to treat them by killing them all when they're just chicks. I don't fancy chicken being GM'd in order to avoid the problem either.


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Misslizard
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02 Apr 2014, 1:58 pm

I have my own hens and a couple roosters.They have a nice life.I give them scraps from the kitchen and weeds from the garden.I can't let them run loose because something here would try to eat them so they have a nice run and coop.Many people are starting to keep a few chickens even in town.
The hens that are in factory farms have a miserable life,small cages and I believe they keep the lights on 24/7,when they are no longer productive,they are slaughtered.They don't really have a life,never get to scratch for a worm.
There are old fashioned breeds that lay good and the roosters are heavy enough to be a meat chicken.The egg laying breeds are small,they don't want them to be a heavy bird because they would eat more and they grow slower.
The old timers let the roosters grow off,then when they got big enough there would be chicken for the freezer.At least they got to run around and scratch.Free range meat has more flavor,it's easy to tell because their bones will be strong,not like a commercially produced bird with rubbery bones.


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pezar
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02 Apr 2014, 2:41 pm

Chickens are meant to roam and scratch. Factory farming means that they're kept in small cages and have heat lamps burning under their butts to keep them laying. Then when they croak it's off to the dog food factory. Meat chickens are kept in huge sheds with concrete floors. The chicken poop has nowhere to go, so it just stays there. Chickens start pecking at it, so they are fed antibiotics. It's horrible. I hope someday I have land to raise chickens.



chris5000
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02 Apr 2014, 3:20 pm

you can free range your chickens even with hawks and other animals around as long as you give them plenty of things to hide under also guinea fowl are great to mix in with your chickens they are very observant of predators and will make a whole bunch of noise when one comes around alerting the whole flock. when my uncle got guinea fowl he stopped losing chickens to hawks



Misslizard
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02 Apr 2014, 3:40 pm

I also have coyotes(one tried to grab a turkey in broad daylight,it ran off when I yelled at it),and the occasional hunting dog or stray comes through the yard.There was a little grey fox that was hanging out in the yard,he'd drink out of the Lilly pond.My Aunt had lots of shrubs that provided shelter from air borne predators for her chickens,it definetly works.One neighbor that keeps pigeons taught me a neat trick,if you put out food for the crows they will hang around and drive off the hawks,they gang up on the hawk and run them off.He kept losing birds when he would fly them,the crows really cut back his losses,he has the fancy pidgeons.
Lots of people here keep guineas because they are great at ridding a yard of ticks and they are really good watch dogs,they will make lots of noise if they see something strange.Geese are also good for this.I had a really tame gander that liked to be petted and would follow me around the yard,a stray dog caught and killed him,I was so sad about it.


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naturalplastic
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02 Apr 2014, 4:12 pm

I couldnt survive if had to stop cooking ez favorite dishes like french toast and meatballs that utilize scrambled eggs.



wozeree
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05 Apr 2014, 8:18 pm

TallyMan wrote:
My eggs are very ethical. I've got 3 hens roaming around the garden free range. They live a wonderful life and often come to help me when I'm working in the garden... I dig and they eat the bugs and worms unearthed. They also like to scratch up the seeds and seedling while I'm planting them which isn't so helpful, but I can't resist having them with me, chattering away amongst each other or to me. If I'm not digging up enough bugs/worms fast enough they peck my feet and ankles to urge me on. I literally am hen pecked.


You always strike me as having such a big tender heart! Now you're communing with chickens. :D of course the poor worms might not agree. (and who knew that chickens ate worms?)



collectoritis
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06 Apr 2014, 8:42 am

It's like with chocolate industry , they label bars "ethically produced" but the truth is you can't even trust *those*.



collectoritis
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06 Apr 2014, 8:43 am

Quote:

You always strike me as having such a big tender heart! Now you're communing with chickens. :D of course the poor worms might not agree. (and who knew that chickens ate worms?)


Blofeld: "I've taught you to love chickens, to love their flesh, their voice" :lol:



MjrMajorMajor
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06 Apr 2014, 8:47 am

TallyMan wrote:
My eggs are very ethical. I've got 3 hens roaming around the garden free range. They live a wonderful life and often come to help me when I'm working in the garden... I dig and they eat the bugs and worms unearthed. They also like to scratch up the seeds and seedling while I'm planting them which isn't so helpful, but I can't resist having them with me, chattering away amongst each other or to me. If I'm not digging up enough bugs/worms fast enough they peck my feet and ankles to urge me on. I literally am hen pecked.


:lol: Sounds just like my FIL' s place. There is no comparison between store bought eggs, and the eggs he gives us.