Single hen

[Egluntyne]

Fortunately my butcher supplies free range chickens which come straight from the farm to him.

 

They cost between £7 and £8ish.....but they are a good size.

 

Him Indoors says they taste the way chickens used to taste.

 

I can get three meals off one.

 

Roast dinner,

 

Curry or stew.

 

Soup from the carcass.

[Clash City Rocker]

The programmes looked like it had been filmed during the summer, I would of liked to of seen the programme makers put an updated piece in at the the end of the series, recorded in December, highlighting if the campaign in Axminster had continued to be a successful campaign with even higher sales of free range products, or if the residents had gone back to their old buying habits now that the spotlight had moved away.

[Cinnamon]

Yes, that would have been a nice way to round off the show,wouldn't it?

Maybe there will be a follow up of some sort?

[Egluntyne]

The programmes looked like it had been filmed during the summer, I would of liked to of seen the programme makers put an updated piece in at the the end of the series, recorded in December, highlighting if the campaign in Axminster had continued to be a successful campaign with even higher sales of free range products, or if the residents had gone back to their old buying habits now that the spotlight had moved away.

 

I agree....follow up would be useful.

 

Maybe the screening of th show will make the people of Axminster come back to free range.

 

Being a bit of a cynic I imagine that all the shop keepers will jump on the bandwagon of the show and sell free range again...at a hiked up price......for the short term anyway.

[Fabergé]

 

I agree....follow up would be useful.

 

 

How about posting to the Channel 4 forum http://community.channel4.com/groupee/forums

 

to ask about any plans for a follow-up?

And also ask why they decided not to use the footage from Lloyd Maunder?

[Lesley]

The sad thing about that is that some of them lift their heads up and miss being stunned in the electrified water bath and get their throats cut while they're still alive. Some of them are still alive when they're dunked into the scalding water to loosen their feathers for plucking, sorry but that's the way it is.

 

Are you certain of these facts Poet?

I think Poet is sadly correct about this. I saw a programme about this very thing about a year ago.

 

One of the reasons why I went vegetarian about 27years ago - the same method was being used then.

 

I presume any 'follow-up' will make another programme....... they wouldn't waste it by adding it at the end of this series.

[Egluntyne]

 

I agree....follow up would be useful.

 

 

How about posting to the Channel 4 forum http://community.channel4.com/groupee/forums

 

to ask about any plans for a follow-up?

And also ask why they decided not to use the footage from Lloyd Maunder?

 

After you!

 

Am off to have a look.

 

To be honest other forums scare me.......

[Guest]

The sad thing about that is that some of them lift their heads up and miss being stunned in the electrified water bath and get their throats cut while they're still alive. Some of them are still alive when they're dunked into the scalding water to loosen their feathers for plucking, sorry but that's the way it is.

 

Are you certain of these facts Poet?

 

I've known about it for a while but for some reason, I thought free range chickens were slaughtered more humanely (stupid me!) and when I saw it with my own eyes last night, I was terribly upset.

 

I'm not eating chicken now until I can find a local farm that does it more like the guy at RC did it. If such a place exists!

[Lesley]

It may be that as they are done in smaller batches then there is less liklihood of them missing the stunning bath?

[Guest]

It may be that as they are done in smaller batches then there is less liklihood of them missing the stunning bath?

 

personally, I don't want to take that chance.

 

I cried when Chuffy was slaughtered but at least it was quick and they knew he'd been stunned first.

 

It's really made me re-evaluate the free range chicken I used to buy from the supermarket.

[chickenanne]

Does anyone think the programe was a succes - i.e. did it actualy educate people as to what the chicken rearing process was, what the issues are, and what the alternatives?

 

I'm not sure it did, really. It was clearly very biased, which in some ways is fine, but a more objective view would be more convincing and less irritating.

e.g limited mention of freedom foods, lots of emphasis on 2-for-a-fiver in Tesco's but I don't recall seeing him show prices of free range birds, etc. I just think it came across as being edited to give a particular view, which automatically makes people suspiscious.

[buffie]

The evidence that it has educated some consumers is actually in this thread Chickenanne. Of course there are always be different viewpoints.

 

A real chicken outside Tesco would have made a huge impact.

 

BBx

[BeckyBoo]

Well it made me finally decide to follow my conscience not my pocket so that's not a bad thing, but I did think (and I'm probably going to get shot for this) that it seemed more of a programme about HFW and his campaign rather than focusing on the chickens. Why couldn't he use existing footage of intensive chicken farming? Why did he focus so much on making Tescos tha bad guys when, as pointed out, Freedom Food is not all that much better and there are HUNDREDS of outlets selling standard chickens. I thought he could have given average free range prices, by omitting them he has left them as still a mystery to some people. He never actually gave alternative outlets, he concentrated on free range at the supermarket which is only one way, and still not the best, of buying free range; he could have mentioned farmers markets which are becoming more and more widespread, he could have showed people questioning the farmers at the markets - don't forget the Weyhill resident who didn't know what a free range hen was, how would she know what questions to ask to see if her chicken was humanely slaughtered. And I really question the usefulness of showing the film to people in the pub who appeared to mostly be either youngsters or older men, in my (probably wrong) opinion he would have been better off talking to mums on a school run, or thst staff at he supermarkets - they're nearly all women, they are still mostly the people who do the shopping and the cooking and also the budgeting.

Anyway, no publicity is bad publicity, it ws being talked about and the news article (which I missed ) on the school run this morning.

 

Mrs Bertie

[Louise]

I have tried to stay out of this for the same reasons Mrs B but I have to get this off my chest

 

There is a programme on Friday showing killing chicks

 

These are male chicks hatched from eggs destined to be layers they are not meat birds so can't be grown for meat and they are boys who can't lay eggs

 

They are to be gassed

 

What is the point in showing this

 

The choices are gas, shoot, electrocute or manual cervical dislocation

 

Who would like to pick the alternative

 

I just don't see the point in whipping up a frenzy with this which it will 'ickle cute fluffy chicks being murdered'

 

The male of the species puts up with alot of ill treatment in farming because they have less use than females in meat and milk production it is just the way of the world but why upset people when there is nothing that can be done about it

 

I am sure everyone wants to rehome a cockerel as that is the only other choice and as they are agressive we can only have one each for your avarage garden

[Aunty e]

I'd rehome them and eat them. Supposed 'non-meat' birds still make decent eating, although not commercial of course. Our last batch were a bunch of araucana crosses, and they were small but nummy. And made good stock.

 

I hated the way they were slaughtered. I don't like the bleeding out. I know neck dislocation probably isn't any nicer, but it just felt less clinical than hanging them up by their feet to go to their death. I always have a bit of a cuddle with mine first, and I try to do them early in the morning so they haven't been starved and the other chooks are tucked away in bed. Although at least there was less flapping. The post-mortem flapping is horrid.

 

Had a chat with OH about it last night, having never really considered where our chicken meat comes from, and we both realised that we have to be more careful about what we buy in the supermarket. No more cheap and nasty for us thank you very much.

[Louise]

It would be very difficult to break that number of necks and guarantee it has been done 'properly'

 

Eating them is the other logical option but it is the economics of it when there is so little meat on the bones and the cost of feeding them it wouldn't work commercially only in a back yard situation which you are doing

[Guest]

There is a programme on Friday showing killing chicks

 

 

i don't understand why they're doing this either, we'll have to wait and see what the context is but it does seem a bizarre thing to do on the face of it.

[craftyhunnypie]

I watched the whole thing with tears running down my face the whole time. What got me was how the under weight ones were just culled, even though they were perfect in every other way. There should be a rescue for those birds, it's so sad. I hated the intensive side, most birds had feather loss on their wings & sores from their urine. Disgusting.

It was lovely to see the free range birds.

I thought the manager at Tescos was so ignorant, he couldn't really give a damn, as long as his profits were up!

I'm sure other supermarkets are as bad! I couldn't believe the lack of shelf space for the free range options - that was disgraceful too.

Hated the slaughtering in the factory where the birds were hung up alive before being dipped into the electrified tank - horrific!

I much preferred Hugh's way & think if you are going to eat chicken, then you are best keeping some chickens yourself and slaughtering them yourself - but I couldn't do it!

I can't bring myself to even buy any chicken at the moment & when & if we eventually do, then it will be free range farm slaughtered.

The only chickens I'll be buying for now are ones that run round my garden & lay eggs (pets).

I was disappointed in Hayley - she showed no remorse at all! I know she is on a tight budget, but Hugh even showed how to make a free range chicken go further! I think she just did the whole thing for a bit of publicity & fame. Shame on her! The rest of the Millway gang took it seriously & I was quite proud of them, especially the bloke with Chuffy!

Looking forward now to Jamies program on Friday!

 

Emma.x

[craftyhunnypie]

I'm going town later, so will go spying round the chicken isle & watch watch people are buying & how much shelf space there is for free range. I'm going to take some 'sneaky' flyers/posters and 'accidently' drop them in the fridges & near the eggs!!!

 

Emma.x

[Louise]

[WitchHazel]

[quote name="Ain't "Ooops, word censored!"ody Here?)

 

Not nice to watch the chickens being killed although if it has to be done' date=' the freerange way was "nicer" - unlike the conveyer belt process for the poor "standard" birds. Is that the way freerange birds are normally killed though, or was that just for the camera .[/quote]

 

The Freerange birds are killed on a conveyor blet, exactly the same way as the intensive birds.

 

The way they did iot for the allotments is not used on a commercial scale.

[Hen Watch]

I thought the program was good and may make those who watched it think. However, many of my friends didn't watch it (because they don't have the same interest in chickens as I do). I feel the program editing could have been better but I can see that it was done this way to create a "cliff hanger" to keep people watching all 3 programs.

 

I'm sure other supermarkets are as bad! I couldn't believe the lack of shelf space for the free range options - that was disgraceful too.

 

Interesting that the on camera interview with Waitrose was only shown 5 minutes before the end of the last program. I suppose it wouldn't have been interesting TV to put it in before that.

 

http://www.waitrose.com/blog/entry.aspx?uid=97874631-d573-47fe-b6b1-4054fae25437

[BeckyBoo]

I KNOW WHAT I MEANT TO ADD, what happened to all the standard hens he reared and killed? I might have missed the answer but he can't have sold them for profit, I can't imagine HFW profiting from intensive farming, or maybe he took the money and gave it to the Battery Hen Welfare Trust or similar? Please tell me they didn't get thrown away, that would be the only thing worse than rearing them in the first place.

 

And I've converted my bus (people carrier) into a campaign bus, it's got a picture on each side of my Hermione saying Free Range Hen, then picture of Pansy my scrawny ex-batt saying Rescued Battery Hen, then a big poster saying, Meat and Eggs, You Decide plus the chicken-out posters. Caused a bit of a stir at school yesterda, it'll be parked at Police HQ this afternoon - wonder if I'll get asked to take them down? They can try!!

 

Mrs Bertie

[Clash City Rocker]

I watched the whole thing with tears running down my face the whole time. What got me was how the under weight ones were just culled, even though they were perfect in every other way. There should be a rescue for those birds, it's so sad. I hated the intensive side, most birds had feather loss on their wings & sores from their urine. Disgusting.

It was lovely to see the free range birds.

I thought the manager at Tescos was so ignorant, he couldn't really give a damn, as long as his profits were up!

I'm sure other supermarkets are as bad! I couldn't believe the lack of shelf space for the free range options - that was disgraceful too.

Hated the slaughtering in the factory where the birds were hung up alive before being dipped into the electrified tank - horrific!

I much preferred Hugh's way & think if you are going to eat chicken, then you are best keeping some chickens yourself and slaughtering them yourself - but I couldn't do

I can't bring myself to even buy any chicken at the moment & when & if we eventually do, then it will be free range farm slaughtered.

The only chickens I'll be buying for now are ones that run round my garden & lay eggs (pets).

I was disappointed in Hayley - she showed no remorse at all! I know she is on a tight budget, but Hugh even showed how to make a free range chicken go further! I think she just did the whole thing for a bit of publicity & fame. Shame on her! The rest of the Millway gang took it seriously & I was quite proud of them, especially the bloke with Chuffy!

Looking forward now to Jamies program on Friday!

 

Emma.x

 

I'm still happy to defend Hayley for sticking to her veiws (although not my views), I beleive she took the project seriously from preparing the initial area for homing the chickens through to slaughter and eating. Hayley saw it as solely as a meal option for her family. I wonder how many of the Millwey gang have reverted back to their original shopping habits now the TV camera's have long gone.

The other point I noticed was Hayley in one of the scenes was dressed as a Paramedic and wonder if the world she works in, and sights she must see while doing her job has made her a bit tougher towards death be it human or animal.

[Guest]

And I've converted my bus (people carrier) into a campaign bus, it's got a picture on each side of my Hermione saying Free Range Hen, then picture of Pansy my scrawny ex-batt saying Rescued Battery Hen, then a big poster saying, Meat and Eggs, You Decide plus the chicken-out posters. Caused a bit of a stir at school yesterda, it'll be parked at Police HQ this afternoon - wonder if I'll get asked to take them down? They can try!!

 

Mrs Bertie

 

what a good idea, I like emmas idea too of leafleting the supermarket.

 

keep us posted on any response you get.