Hellcat Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Good to see you SJ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley-Jean Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I even wasted tape recording it E-mail gone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Hi SarahJo!! Nice to see you . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I even wasted tape recording it E-mail gone I told EVERYONE I knew (who knows im mad about chickens to watch) felt really let down.... they made chicken keeping look deadly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken on a mission Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 What an absolute load of tosh How can our chooks endanger the chicken farning industry in this country. I have hands on contact with my 3 girls every day. How can that sad excuse for a completely legal chicken farm have a pop at me an my hens. But it isn't even that that I am angry about, it is the scaremongering and completely shallow attictude of the beeb and their failure to grasp the real issues once again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I say, I fancy there's a lot of going on in here tonight ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I is interesting to read all the comments, I think that out of at least 3 hours filming where I know that Christopher described how to clean out the eglu and how easy it is to keep pest free unfortunately lots of editing has been done Keeping the girls healthy and the immunisations that they have had was also mentioned by me, but also partially edited out karen x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HennyPenny Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I've sent them my feelings on the matter........wonder if they'll have to mention the deluge of emails they've had from angry Omleteers on tomorrow's show? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightworker01 Posted August 31, 2006 Author Share Posted August 31, 2006 Actually - I think that Omlet may actually have a legal case for this. The article started off great, which means anyone watching would think "What a great idea, my own, levely, fresh eggs every day" Then it went on to the scare mongering which would put this thought into peoples heads "Oh-err, maybe keeping chickens isn't a good idea if they harbour all these diseases!" So, I think that the BBC may have actually done more harm than good, especially in Financial terms. If Omlet has solitors, I suggest they talk with them, and see what happens with future purchases! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I've had a rant too I told everyone i know to watch it and now they're going to be going on even more about chooks being disease ridden What a total let-down - makes one wonder what the original brief was... Boo Hisssssssss. Shall set my chooks on them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I have sent my red-hot fuming email too and I thought I would post it here. If anyone would like to use some of it, feel free. I know there are times when I think 'I just can't put my mind to that now, I haven't time'. Also if anyone thinks I've said something wrong or missed something important (probable!) get a moderator to edit it. I forgot to say in it that they made Johannes look like a delivery boy when in fact he is one of the owners of a very successful, award-winning business, not to speak of the excellent design concept of the eglu itself. Here is my email: Dear Nadia and Adrian, Being an Omlet chicken keeper, I eagerly watched your report this evening to see Johannes delivering some young chickens and an eglu. Your report was investigating 'the phenomenon of the urban chicken.' so I am uncertain why most of your report concentrated on barn chickens and the risk pet chickens may pose to them. All Omlet chickens are fully vaccinated against all the common diseases including salmonella. The plastic Eglu is more hygienic than the traditional ark as it is so easy to keep clean. Our eglus are frequently totally dismantled, washed and disinfected. I do mine once a month, but many people do theirs every week. I wonder how often your farmer completely washes and disinfects his barn? Chickens are more likely to get ill when kept in large numbers. Our chickens are usually in a group of 2 or 3. They are very well-looked after and taken to see a vet at the slightest thing. How likely is your farmer to detect a sick chicken? I would guess he is more likely to notice when there are several sick or dying, not just one. To say that pet chickens are a threat to the health of farmed chickens is just not true. The biggest threat of bird flu comes from the wild birds and our chickens are as much at risk from them as any other chickens. As I understand it, a chicken with bird flu will be dead within 24 hours. If that chicken lives in a tiny group (2 or 3) the disease is immediately contained and there is very little threat to anybody else. Omlet provides the necessary cover so that should chickens have to be moved indoors, they can be. I think that your report will have annoyed a lot of pet-chicken keepers. It seemed to be saying that it is not a good idea to keep them as pets. Chickens are no more a risk to anyone than cats or dogs. I like them because one of my daughters is allergic to pet fur so we have been unable to have indoor pets. And I love the eggs! I know exactly what my chickens have been fed so I know where my egg came from. I even know which chicken laid it! Even fresh eggs in the shops will be about a week old; I don't think I ever have an egg that old! I get 3 a day and eat them usually within 4 days. You didn't show pictures of hens scratching around underneath bushes with their fluffy bottoms on view or the comedy of a chicken head suddenly appearing from within a bush while you sit in the garden. They bring a garden to life and are an absolute joy. I hope that you will find a way to redress the negative image your report gave pet chicken-keeping. Please let me know what you decide. Ginette Nye (with Kath, Kim and Kelly) Surrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Unfortunately I missed the programme, but read the summary on the website here http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/features/feature/14_rajesh_chickens.shtml It is appalling that the reporter was shown wearing a safety suit - simply scaremongering!! Even with bird flu the only precaution suggested was to wash footwear after visiting poulty - and there is no bird flu here at the moment! Aaargh! Every sympathy to those who took part - you did a great job - what a shame the BBC twisted it SO MUCH... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swindon_clucker Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) That was a good rant keep moaning everyone they should give in .if they dont well keep complaing thats the omleteer way Edited August 31, 2006 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I've had a rant too I told everyone i know to watch it and now they're going to be going on even more about chooks being disease ridden What a total let-down - makes one wonder what the original brief was... Boo Hisssssssss. Shall set my chooks on them! I completely agree....must have scared everyone off. Hope my neighbours didnt see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Unfortunately I missed the programme, but read the summary on the website here http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/features/feature/14_rajesh_chickens.shtml It is appalling that the reporter was shown wearing a safety suit - simply scaremongering!! Even with bird flu the only precaution suggested was to wash footwear after visiting poulty - and there is no bird flu here at the moment! Aaargh! Every sympathy to those who took part - you did a great job - what a shame the BBC twisted it SO MUCH... another thing that bugged me with this link is that the vice chairmain of the egg farmers industry IS BOUND to warn people off keeping chickens, WE ARE NOT BUYING HIS EGGS! Also how on earth is are the diseases gonna be spread.. im not visiting a commercial egg farm this weekend - are you??!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I agree with everyone, after telling people to watch it as well . What a total waste of time! Now do we all start emailing 'Richard and Judy' to show a piece on eglus, they would never scaremonger would they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 think CHANNEL 4 would be much better - they arent so alarmist and politically correct as the beeb.. it would be fab to see it on richard and judy,...maybe R & J themselves could try a couple of chooks in the back garden themselves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightworker01 Posted August 31, 2006 Author Share Posted August 31, 2006 I would like to congratulate the owners who were interviewed. It's not easy beeing in front of the camera. I know because when I was breeding cats I went on TV with my wife, and her two children. We were talking about our Ragdoll cats. Anyway. These are the two e-mails I have sent to the ONE SHOW. 1) Hi there. Many thanks for doing the article. I would like to point out that the chickens from Omlet are fully vaccinated, and very happy with free-ranging in gardens. I was hoping that you'd say that. The farmer you was talking to was a bit of a scare monger, as to infect his chickens with any diseased picked up from "garden" hens you would have to get them all over yourself and, when you get to his farm, walk about inside the chicken house, without him noticing. This is so unlikely it was pointless to say it in this fashion. Also, you could have said that you, as an owner, shouldn't have to worry too much about protective clothing. Especially when you consider how many people have cats and dogs, who don't wash their hands or clean their clothes before going out, where someone who is allergic can be infected. I was also hoping that you would talk about the Eglu, unless you are going to do another article and speak with the designers? The Eglu is a revolution in Design after all. Anyway, the article was good, but it could have had more scope. Oh yes, did you have to say I live in a council estate!!! Thanks. Brian and Russell Copeland. ------------ I then thought about it some more, and after reading the other threads that popped up on tonights show I decided to send this one as well. 2) Oh yes. I would like to point out that the Barn Farmer doesn't count as an Urban chicken owner! He has probably done financial damage to Omlet in respect to all the talk about how his "Barn" hens are healthier than the two or three garden hens would be. Both sets of chickens would be fed on Layers pellets or Mash, but the ones kept in the back garden also have the benefits of getting > Fresh air > Treats such as raisins, grapes, sweetcorn etc > A lot more space per bird to rummage around, scratch for food and have dust baths in. > Will be loved on a one to one basis the same way people show love and affection to mainline pets e.g. cats and dogs. > Are LESS likely to get ill, as most of what I have read about chicken diseases, is that they mainly occur in larger flocks. > Would also be fed ORGANICALLY, with other organic feed as well, such as mixed corn (which is wheat, Oats, Barley and Corn etc) which will also have Omega 3 and sometimes 6 (or even both) > The urban chickens are less likely to get things like "Scaly Leg" because the Eglu doesn't allow them many (if any) damp, dark gaps to breed in. Whereas all the saw dust/shavings on the floor in the barn is probably able to harbour millions of them. And just how often does the barn farmer replace all the dust/shavings? Eglu owners replenish theirs every week or so, sometimes a fortnight, but never longer than a month. Most barn or battery farms hardly ever, IF ever, replace the flooring, if they even use any. > The fact that the farmer can't treat all those birds with the care, love and affection that the urban chicken owner can his or her two or three birds. Also, why didn't you show the Eglu in detail, as this is what I asked you to do an article on! I was hoping to see an interview with the designers asking questions such as: "What led you to think of designing the Eglu" Instead you show your reporter in his paper suit (which didn't cover his shoes and so was totally worthless as a protective garment) and then go on about Bird Flu... Yes the urban chickens can catch it, but they are not as likely to as say ducks, geese or swans, who live on public lakes etc e.g. Willen Lake in Milton Keynes. I am very upset that you went off topic, and the Salmonella problem is not a high risk anymore, because chickens are looked after better, and their feed is better. I think you should make a public apology for making the idea of Urban Chicken keeping sound like a bad idea, which it isn't. Also, this might have financial repercussions for Omlet, as their Eglu was seen, even if it wasn't mentioned, and if people find their site on the net, they might not want one, and might go for the older style, wooden runs, which aren't as easy to clean and look after as the Eglu. you also asked me to get chicken owners to send you pictures of the chooks, which also didn't get shown. there are probably other things I could complain about, but this is enough to get on with! I would like to talk about this further, as would many of the Omleteers on the Omlet forum. Many thanks.... Brian and Russell Copeland I hope everyone agrees with this. I know your all unhappy, but then what did we really expect from the BBC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightworker01 Posted August 31, 2006 Author Share Posted August 31, 2006 For those of you who want to see that article now, this is what it says - word for word. Urban chickens You might think keeping chickens is something strictly for farms - but more and more people are buying pet chickens for their back yards. Rajesh went to investigate the phenomenon of the urban chicken. (Picture of Rajesh wearing a paper suit should be here) You may think your pet cat or dog is cute and friendly, and part of the family. But when was the last time it gave you breakfast? One of the most popular new pets in Britain is the humble chicken. They're loving, loyal, easy to maintain - and you get an egg every day. But can chickens really live happily in a back yard? Yes, according to chicken owner Jayne Scannali and her family in Manchester. They're the latest to join the chicken revolution. "I quite like chickens. We've got friends who live out in the country who've got quite a few chickens and if they can do it I can do it - why not?" And they make good pets too, according to the Scholes-Lawrence family in Crewe in Cheshire. 10-year-old Christopher says "most people have cats and dogs - we have chickens". And Ellie, who's 12 likes them because "the way they run, they look like old ladies." But there is a serious side to keeping chickens at home. You have to look after them properly, to avoid the risk of diseases that can harm your chickens - and you. Chickens are a major carrier of salmonella bacteria, and can spread infection. And extra car has to be taken at the moment as the threat of bird flu is a concern. Farmer Duncan Priestner, the National Farmers Union's Vice Chairman for Eggs, says it's important to keep domestic chickens separate from the farming industry. "It's wonderful that people are keeping chickens but obviously if those birds get any diseases there's always the possibility that they can get passed on to commercial egg producers like ourselves. That can have quite big effects on production drops and on the quality of the eggs that we produce." And the precautions you have to take are clear - Rajesh had to wear a different protective suit for every group of chickens he visited, to avoid spreading any possible infections. But it's not something that worries Karen Scholes-Lawrence, who told Rajesh that "it was rather alarming when you turned up on the doorstep but the chickens themselves don't worry me with infections - they're covered with immunisations." And of course, when you have healthy chickens, you have delicious organic eggs in our own back garden. You don't get that from guinea pigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightworker01 Posted August 31, 2006 Author Share Posted August 31, 2006 Yes, lets do! I'll send them an e-mail tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swindon_clucker Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 HeHeHeHe the bbc doesnt know whts hit em as all these extensive emails they may delete them hope they dont but they will always be there i suggest save the long email as a draft then keep resending Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 HeHeHeHe the bbc doesnt know whts hit em as all these extensive emails they may delete them hope they dont but they will always be there i suggest save the long email as a draft then keep resending Tee hee someone's gonna come into a full e mail inbox tomorrow morning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I saw it too, a dreadful, unbalanced bit of scaremongering Doesn't one of the One Show's contributors keep chickens? I'm pretty certain that I read somwhere that Bill whatever his name is who's doing the 30 mins of sleep every 4 hours feature is a backyard chicken keeper Oh, well I expect they're expecting a heated post bag tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 This is the only email address I could find on the 'Richard and Judy' site: comments.rj@cactustv.co.uk Feel free to mail 'em Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 sent one to richard and judy now asking them...can someone else please...as I DEFINETLY DONT want to be in a tv feature.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
