4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[BeckyBoo]

.....went to Sainsburys with my Dad this afternoon and as I was looking to buy a chicken for roast dinner (having forgotten to take something out of the freezer) he pointed out chickens for £1.75. Yes, that's right one pound seventy five for a whole chicken to roast.

I made sure I said VERY LOUDLY (as it was busy) "And what sort of life do you think that chicken has had? I can't even buy chickens eggs to HATCH for that money. It'll be lucky if it's seen it's 30 day birthday, up to it's elbows in burning chicken poo (I didn't say poo) fed a horrible diet so it'll be full of water and will shrink to half the size when you cook it. Never mind that the farmer will make NO money on it whatsoever" God I'm a big mouth, nearly did a double take when I saw the price on their organic free rangers though although I did buy one.

I thought Sainsburys were supposed to be "changing their ways?"

Looked pretty grim to me - not impressed

 

Mrs Bertie[/i]

[Guest]

send that to the chicken out guys, they'll be very interested in that!

[chelsea]

were they very small chickens mrs b?

 

I just asked hubby (as his employer supplies sainsburys), he said he never knew they sold chicken that cheap, I asked him why they would be that cheap and he did say that they have been having some very small chickens in the houses recently. (he's a chicken catcher).

[BeckyBoo]

They were around the "2 for a fiver" size, but they were packaged in Sainsburys orange and white "Basics" packaging, which I haven't seen on whole chickens before.

 

Mrs B

[chelsea]

mmm, I've never seen that before in sainsburys either.

 

Im surprised at them actually doing it. I dont want them turning into tesco!

[Seagazer]

Wierdly enough we were discussing the life of a meat chicken whilst eating our roast chicken tonight. I had a free range from waitrose and everyone was saying how nice it was.

 

YS asked how much it was and I told him and he asked if that was cheap (think it was about £8.00 odd). I said no and that I thought you could get them for £2.50 or so and my mum said no surely not. So at £1 odd that is just disgusting. We talked through with the boys how the cheap chickens are reared. Es said though that people have to eat. I think I shall have to show himRhapsody's poor little girls and see what he thinks then. It really makes you want to weep. I can't stand the thought of how these chickens are reared. Somethings got to change.

[The Dogmother]

That's disgraceful Mrs B

 

I was out at dinner on Friday with soem friends and I think I've converted all of them over to free range meat.

 

There's a brilliant farmers' market near me, and a chappie there sells his free range, slow-grown chooks. When he has a bit of a glut, you can get 2 for £12. They are absolutely delicious; one feeds me, Rosie and Phil (when he's hanging around) for one roast meal, lots of cold meat, and soup from the carcass. Now that's what I call value, and it's ethically grown too; I have been out to the farm and seen the chooks for myself.

 

Good for you for sticking up for yourself.

[BeckyBoo]

Well I've just e-mailed Sainsburys for what it's worth, doubt I'll get any meaningful reply. This is what I put...

 

.....went to Sainsburys with my Dad this afternoon and as I was looking to buy a chicken for roast dinner (having forgotten to take something out of the freezer) he pointed out chickens for £1.75. Yes, that's right one pound seventy five for a whole chicken to roast.

I made sure I said VERY LOUDLY (as it was busy) "And what sort of life do you think that chicken has had? I can't even buy chickens eggs to HATCH for that money. It'll be lucky if it's seen it's 30 day birthday, up to it's elbows in burning chicken poo (I didn't say poo) fed a horrible diet so it'll be full of water and will shrink to half the size when you cook it. Never mind that the farmer will make NO money on it whatsoever"

I'm VERY disappointed in Sainsburys who, I understood, had pledged to make changes in their animal welfare standards following the Chicken Out campaign. You can't tell me that a chicken that cost less than £2 has had any quality of life? The profit margin for the poor farmer must be absolutely negligible as well - how are they expected to make concessions to improving animal welfare when they are pushed towards cheaper and cheaper products? Obviously you will sell them, and at £9 for a free range chicken you will probably sell more of the "Basic" brand than the others. But you will lose another customer. Me. And you will continue to lose customers, only in dribs and drabs but it will start to make a difference to you. You MUST realise that the tide of the British consumer is turning in FAVOUR of more expensive but better produced goods. Please Please reconsider your decision to stock these awful products. One of our ex-battery hens died today, but she had had 8 months of living free instead of living in a cage the size of an A4 piece of paper. She continued to lay us eggs well past her "sell-by date" and cost us the grand total of 3p a day to feed.

Money isn't everything.

 

Got a bit side-tracked in my general rant but none the less it's done

 

Mrs B

[The Dogmother]

*stands up and claps*

 

You go girl!

[chelsea]

good for you mrs b!

 

Actually I might even join you by e mailing them aswell. I spend nearly £100 a week at sainsburys, and always buy their organic and free range chicken, im also not happy they have stooped to selling chicken this cheap.

[Stevie]

I understand that people still need to eat and some may not be able to afford freerange,but all sentient beings deserve their basic natural rights.I would have expected this of Tescos,but not Sainsburys.

[chelsea]

hubby said they were upping the cornfed chickens though which is why i cant understand why sainsburys are doing this.

 

if people cant afford free range cornfed is better option than the cheap ones as they have perches, bales and a lot more room than standard chooks.

[BeckyBoo]

I understand that people still need to eat and some may not be able to afford freerange,but all sentient beings deserve their basic natural rights.I would have expected this of Tescos,but not Sainsburys.

 

Absolutely. And we're not rich, very VERY far from it, but, although I have had to cancel our Abel and Cole until further notice due to money, and I WILL HAVE to make compromises from now on re organic etc, I WILL NOT compromise on animal welfare. No. That's a lie. There is a particular ham that is the only one DD2 and DS will eat and it's not animal friendly and I can't get the equivalent organic OR free range so, whilst I gently re-educate them I will buy that. Hypocrite or what? BUT, I'm ""trying" to do my bit and most of our meat comes from a local farm. It is BLOOMIN' expensive, but it's lovely. If I have to buy from Sainsburys I've been buying their organic, but I've never been completely convinced on ANY supermarkets standards as far as organic, or free range or GM free etc are. It's still produced on a grand scale, and I think I like my food to be produced on a smaller, more manageable and more easily supervised scale. I used to be a "2 for a fiver girl" as I have a family of 5 and we're always broke. But deep down I know in my heart, there are some things that you just cannot compromise on. Some things are too important to ignore

 

Mrs B

[Karen Pimlott]

I dont eat any poultry.. i cant bring myself to do it with all those little faces looking at me every day.

Hubby doesnt eat it now either (his choice) i still cook it for the kids though.

being producers (veg) ourselves we obtain all our meat from the farmers markets we do se we know everything from start to end about the meat we eat.

 

Perhaps more people should buy from farmers markets or the village butchers, but the sad fact is the majority of joe public dont want to know where their meat comes from, they just want a bargin & 2 birds for a fiver is certainly that!

 

like in a previous post how does the farmer make money???? the price of feed is sky high & it costs a lot to rear a bird we are not talking pence anymore but £££'s!

 

K.

[BeckyBoo]

Just on the farmers market thing, I've tried our farmers markets in Woking before, the last time I was there there was about 3 stalls, one bread (make me own anyway) one olives and one hog roasgt. That was it.

Before that there's been more but to be honest they're mostly "luxury" goods, olives and feta cheese, fabulous breads, cakes, quiches. There has been butchers there but not recently I was very disappointed

 

Mrs B

[Christian]

Good for you Mrs B!

 

Try this link -

 

http://www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk/dates/default.asp

 

Farnborough is your closest, but no dates showing at the moment. Basingstoke has a large market but is a bit of a trek for you.

 

I would rather eat no meat than that appalling cheap chicken.

[Guest]

try this too, I posted it in all things nice but you may not have seen it http://www.freerangereview.com has a useful postcode search.

 

And well done for being a continuing chicken superhero!

 

xxxx

[Lesley]

Just on the farmers market thing, I've tried our farmers markets in Woking before, the last time I was there there was about 3 stalls, one bread (make me own anyway) one olives and one hog roasgt. That was it.

Before that there's been more but to be honest they're mostly "luxury" goods, olives and feta cheese, fabulous breads, cakes, quiches. There has been butchers there but not recently I was very disappointed

 

Mrs B

 

That's a shame - Stratford Farmers' Market started well and then almost fizzled out. It staged a recovery and now has about 4/5 butchers including the Water Buffalo man.

[Rhapsody]

and now has about 4/5 butchers including the Water Buffalo man.

 

The image I have in my head is quite something!

[The Dogmother]

I like the buffalo meat, but not the cheese - it's revolting *bleurgh*

 

Good luck with finding something near you Mrs B. Try this link http://www.bigbarn.co.uk/ I subscribe to their newsletter, but a postcode search throws up all the local free range/organic suppliers and farm shops in your area.

[Charlottechicken]

I understand that people still need to eat and some may not be able to afford freerange

 

Smaller portions may help there, and freerange/organic meat is more filling than the cheap, water pumped stuff, so a little does stretch further. You would be amazed if you saw the 'poor' outside the Tesco near my place of work (in one of Britain's poorest areas, allegedly ). All queuing up for their taxis home with 20-30 carrier bags full of Tesco Value rubbish. What's the betting they chuck half of it out just because it is so cheap it is disposable. They could spend the same on half as much quality food, and throw less away.

 

Goodness knows what they do with all those plastic bags too

[Lesley]

and now has about 4/5 butchers including the Water Buffalo man.

 

The image I have in my head is quite something!

 

- I dread to think.......

 

Look here..... http://www.waterbuffalo.co.uk/

 

The ice-cream is great as well Clare.

[riane]

Good for you ...the more we put pressur eon the supermarkets the better

[The Dogmother]

I understand that people still need to eat and some may not be able to afford freerange

 

Smaller portions may help there, and freerange/organic meat is more filling than the cheap, water pumped stuff, so a little does stretch further. You would be amazed if you saw the 'poor' outside the Tesco near my place of work (in one of Britain's poorest areas, allegedly ). All queuing up for their taxis home with 20-30 carrier bags full of Tesco Value rubbish. What's the betting they chuck half of it out just because it is so cheap it is disposable. They could spend the same on half as much quality food, and throw less away.

 

Goodness knows what they do with all those plastic bags too

 

 

Hear, Hear Claire, we see it in Banbury too. They need lessons in basic economics

[Helly Welly]

When i was at school, Home Economics lessons were based on how to choose the best meat for your money (though not organic/free range in those days), how to choose the best pans, the best washingup liquid etc. Proper home economics lessons.

 

I wish this was still the case. My Tesco is also full of people buying processed expensive food and then buying the cheapest rubbishy meat they can It makes no sense at all. And don't even get me started on the carrier bags.