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We have bought free range chickens for years now and we also have our own hens,so we get our own eggs and the odd bird too when we need to cull.

But to answer Mark's post......the way I see the reason for Hugh setting up his own intensive chicken farming shed was because none of the people who have already got up and running intensive broiler sheds were willing to let Hugh or the gen public see what goes on behind closed doors,and he wanted to draw the public's attention to the way their "cheap chickens" are raised and have to live before they are slaughtered and end up in a plastic wrapper in the fridge section in the likes of Tesco, so the only way that he could see fit to do that was set up his own intensive shed. I totally agree with him,I think if what he is doing can change some people's opinions and the way they buy chickens then some good has come from his project,and to be fair there really is'nt that much of a difference in price between free range & factory farmed chickens...the FR ones are certainly not anywhere near £15/20! you will roughly pay around £2 more for a FR chicken,not really a lot more to pay for a bit of humanity and common decency during the birds short life is it???? :angry:

 

[Nicola]

I've now decided to buy all my meat from our local award winning butcher - they have their own abbatoir and all suppliers are signed up to good practices - the quality is also excellent too!  I bought some chicken breasts there the other day and they were huge!  (w00t)

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Do check though Gillian. We have a very good local butcher...but when i asked where he sourced his chickens from, they came from a chicken farm in Nottingham. Butchers don't always supply free range chickens. A chicken farm can sign up to good practices.

Can I just raise a little question about the chicken programme  o
if Whittingstall is so against intensive rearing how has he found it acceptable to set up a simulated factory farming shed go along with killing undersized birds ect ect?

Answer~ to line his pockets but that smacks of double standards to me he preaches no one should eat intensivly reared chickens but finds it acceptable to intensivly rear a batch for his series?.

as for the Supermarkets ~ what you all need to do is contact the supermarkets and tell them your happy to pay £15-20 a bird that way they will be able to stop using intensive rearing and they will be able to pay the farmers a decent price for their products the practice is driven by us consumers who want cheaper and cheaper food.

I asked a simlar question on the official river cottage web site about 18 months ago my post was deleted and my account put on Mod review? so the supermarkets arnt the only ones who wont comunicate when questions are asked LOL.

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I disagree that Hugh was doing it to line his own pockets. It seemed like it was his only choice, as he desperately wanted to show what the conditions were like. I think you are being a bit cynical! :unsure:

Free range chickens are not that expensive Mark, just an extra couple of pounds. I buy a free range chicken for two people and it lasts for three meals (2 roasts and a curry), and the dogs get the wings! Good value for money I'd say!

In principle I agree, and I am happy to buy free range eggs and chickens for myself.  I am not that keen on chicken anyway, but free range poultry does taste much better.  But what are we feeding our dogs? 

Pauline

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That's a tricky one and something I wrestle my conscience about each week. I usually buy NatureDiet and i don't think they'd use free range chickens somehow. If I buy the dogs a fresh chicken, it's usually free range, and boy do i make it last them...and bulk it out with rice or pasta and tripe from the butcher. :sweating:

That's the trouble with owning so many dogs......it is a pleasure we can't deny ourselves but are we thinking about the consequences of keeping them all fed! :unsure:

 

[Nicola]

The only way you can expect these animals to be reared humanely is if you show you value them financially. :thumbsup:

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Just to add that I have signed up to the petition, but I do agree with Jac's post above. I don't think a petition will do much. Paying those few pounds extra will make the real difference.

Here's a quote from the Rivercottage website which speaks volumes. Meat used to be a luxury item. Now that it is sold stacked up in fridges in the supermarket this has really changed our perception of meat hasn't it?

Quote:

'I remember back to my childhood when chicken was a luxury food, not taken for granted but treated with respect. Why? Because way back then they were all free range and properly cared for and they tasted of something! If only I could turn the clock back! I am not rich - I am living on Incapacity benefit but will still only buy free range chicken and just eat it less often.' ... Mrs W

BTW I'm not getting at multiple dog households in my previous posts ( i'd love more dogs if I could have them). Maybe we need to investigate more veggie meals to supplement and help cut down on the meat meals ? :wacko:

 

[kris]

We have bought free range chickens for years now and we also have our own hens,so we get our own eggs and the odd bird too when we need to cull.But to answer Mark's post......the way I see the reason for Hugh setting up his own intensive chicken farming shed was because none of the people who have already got up and running intensive broiler sheds were willing to let Hugh or the gen public see what goes on behind closed doors,and he wanted to draw the public's attention to the way their "cheap chickens" are raised and have to live before they are slaughtered and end up in a plastic wrapper in the fridge section in the likes of Tesco, so the only way that he could see fit to do that was set up his own intensive shed. I totally agree with him,I think if what he is doing can change some people's opinions and the way they buy chickens then some good has come from his project,and to be fair there really is'nt that much of a difference in price between free range & factory farmed chickens...the FR ones are certainly not anywhere near £15/20! you will roughly pay around £2 more for a FR chicken,not really a lot more to pay for a bit of humanity and common decency during the birds short life is it????  :angry:

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i think most people would have realised that not many battery hen farmers would be willing to let the tv cameras in to see what goes on in those sheds. :thumbsup: so rather than accusing the guy of making the program for money(hes already quite a successful chef/writer/broadcaster)i think its again common sense that hes making the program for a more altruistic reason.ie that he CARES about the way our animals are being kept and the awful conditions theyre being kept in.hes obviously got his finger on the pulse here as most people are questioning if its right to keep animals like this and would pay a bit more to ensure they arent.

and yes free range chickens arent anywhere like 15 to 20 pounds each! (w00t) eggs are only a few pence more and chickens arent much more than battery reared chickens.and yes, id rather pay a bit more to ease my conscience that the animal im eating had a decent quality of life before it was killed for me to eat :thumbsup:

 

[Flowerpot]

I agree and we buy only free range eggs too.

Have signed up with pleasure.

 

[melanie]

iv signed :thumbsup: i also buy free range, i really hope that something good comes out of this, poor chickens

 

[BlueNoise]

I buy free range eggs, so have signed :thumbsup:

 

[jayp]

Ive signed, and i do think its the governments fault, they manage to legislate about the size and shape of sausages so why not put some pressure on the supermarkets, God you can but a bottle of wine for £2.00 no wonder half the nation is Pissed. I know for a fact that if the supermarkets have a bad years sales they now demand a refund from the growers that supplied them and because they have a huge market share the suppliers are forced to play ball :rant:

 

[*Lesley*]

Thanks everyone :cheers: last episode is on now Ch4 :thumbsup: