My eco solution to rat problems

[pgodd]

Inpsired by Huge's "The River Cottage Treatment" programe last Thursday, I am now thinking about raising my own broiler chickens at home.

 

I agree with his philiosophy of giving chickens a good life before they reach your table and what better way to ensure this than raising them yourself.

 

Does anyone know where to buy broiler chicks in the Oxfordshire/Berkshire/Hampshire area and what breeds are best?

 

Also, at risk of showing my complete ignorance , are broiler chickens usually male, female or both?

 

I am completely new to this and so any help would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Paul.

[chelsea]

they are both I believe.

 

my husband is a "chicken catcher" and catches over 35,000 chicken a night in a team of 4 men. These a broiler chicken destined for major supermarkets. he does free range, organic and standard.

 

I believe some of these chickens are "hubbards" also known as "golden comets".

 

We have 2 rescue one's in our eglu (brown and white free range hens) not for our table....but they will lay eggs.

[Guest]

Funnily enough, I'm after some advice on the very same thing. we have decided to start keeping chickens for the pot, and have no idea where to start.

 

HELP!

[chelsea]

I think lesley on here raises her own chickens for eating. maybe she has some advice.

[The Dogmother]

I'll drop her an email in case she doesn't see this

[Lesley]

We started with broilers this time last year and didn't know a thing!! We don't know much more now

 

We started with a small book called Table Birds - I'll add the info tomorrow.

 

Then we found a local producer who we thought might have some spare cockerels we could grow on - it turned out that he has a hatchery, so we ordered 12 table birds of 4 weeks old. I wouldn't have 4 week olds any later than the beginning of October if they are to go outside as ours do.

 

We sectioned a part of the large run to separate them from the layers.

 

Most importantly - to us anyway - we asked a man in the village if he would show us how to despatch the birds once they were big enough. He came round when they weighed around 4lb live weight, and despatched 1 and then showed Carl how to do the next 2. he then showed us how to pluck them and his wife called in later to show us how to draw the innards. It is difficult to make sense of it from a book

 

We left the others to grow a bit more and killed 6 before Christmas, and froze 2 of them.

 

The other 3 we left to grow and as the weather was cold through Jan and Feb we left them until they were 9 months old They weighed 9lbs dressed weight - but we roasted them and they were still soooo tender!

 

It is difficult to kill them but we felt it was something we had to do if we were going to rear table birds. We now have a local farmer who comes and kills them and takes them to his dry plucking machine - they come back plucked and dressed for a small sum.

 

We started this in an ordinary garden with neighbours and they caused no problem. We were supposed to have 6 hens and 6 cocks but were mostly hens. We chose anything which looked remotely like a cockerel first just in case they started crowing and were only left with hens by the time they would have been old enough to crow

 

We now have another 12 and 4 turkeys

[pgodd]

Thanks Lesley, I'll have a look for that book on Amazon.

[tara]

What a horrible lot u all are how would you lot like to die.Im an animal lover and would hate to be an animal in this world.There are other options now animals dont need to die at a wim

[pgodd]

Hi Tara,

 

I appreciate and respect that many people do not agree with the killing and eating of animals. Having seen the conditions of some factory farms on TV, I can fully understand your sentiment.

 

However, for those who choose to eat meat, surely it is better that we try to ensure those animals enjoy as good a life as possible.

 

This is what we are trying to do by raising our own broiler chickens. We can then be certain they are not pumped full of antibiotics and artificial growth hormones and instead have a happy free life up untill when they are killed, feeling as little pain as possible.

 

Paul.

[Guest]

What a horrible lot u all are how would you lot like to die.Im an animal lover and would hate to be an animal in this world.There are other options now animals dont need to die at a wim

 

Tara, while I appreciate that not everyone can bring themselves to eat meat, I think you need to understand that some of us here are making informed decisions about what we eat, and where it comes from. I will raise my 3 children to respect the lives of the meat they eat, by helping them to realise that cheap meat from supermarkets is just not acceptable - the animals have suffered horribly while alive, which is absolutely wrong. We WILL raise chickens in the garden to eat, and they will have a lovely life before they are dispatched.

 

I AM an animal lover - I wouldn't have a mud patch for a lawn if I wasn't, as I wouldn't have 3 non-laying chickens still running about.

[tara]

I dont think the chickens would feel the same and as they are the poor things having there live taken from them.As for the supermarkets dont worry l more then agree with you about them.When l walk around tesco my little girl says( look mummy at those poor dead chickens) Im so proud of her that she dose not have to have an animal killed in order to survive.I would like to belive that we have come on a bit from cave man.Also if animals could talk it would be a hole different story.All animals have rights not just the factory ones.If l was raising dogs and cats to eat l would be done by the rspca its such a shame that people dont consider other animals rights to live.

[AnnieP]

I think most of us would agree that huge businesses like Tesco care very little for the welfare of their produce, which is why so many of us wouldn't use Tesco if they paid us.

I am a meat eater, and believe that I am designed to be one. I would never willingly eat anything which had poor quality of life or mistreatment during its lifetime.

Education is the key, and this forum is a wonderful place where we can all learn so much, but most importantly, all people's views and lifestyles are respected. There is no right or wrong here. Just shades of grey.

[Charlottechicken]

If there were no meat production industry then farm animals would not exist as there would be no need for them. Therefore there would also be no dairy produce as this is a by product of the meat industry.

 

 

Just a thought.

[Paola]

What a horrible lot u all are how would you lot like to die.Im an animal lover and would hate to be an animal in this world.There are other options now animals dont need to die at a wim

 

Tara, while I appreciate that not everyone can bring themselves to eat meat, I think you need to understand that some of us here are making informed decisions about what we eat, and where it comes from. I will raise my 3 children to respect the lives of the meat they eat, by helping them to realise that cheap meat from supermarkets is just not acceptable - the animals have suffered horribly while alive, which is absolutely wrong. We WILL raise chickens in the garden to eat, and they will have a lovely life before they are dispatched.

 

I AM an animal lover - I wouldn't have a mud patch for a lawn if I wasn't, as I wouldn't have 3 non-laying chickens still running about.

 

I agree Chookiehen. Wish I had the space to do the same.

 

Good point Charlottechicken

[Looney]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion which is why a forum like this is great.

 

The more educated people are, the better decisions they can make. It is all about making informed choices and ultimately it is up to each and every individual to do this (whatever conclusion they arrive at).

[red]

Well said Looney

[red]

When l walk around tesco my little girl says( look mummy at those poor dead chickens) Im so proud of her that she dose not have to have an animal killed in order to survive.

By shoping in Tesco and spending your money there you are contributing to a commercial industry that is responsible for far more harm to animals than those that shop locally/grow their own produce and only eat locally and humanely reared meat. The big supermarkets (and some would argue Tesco in particular) are responsible for driving costs down and supplying food at rock bottom prices that lead to lower standards of animal welfare. I would encourage you to think about these factors too.

[foreveryoung]

hi

 

I am a meat eater but I do respect veggies! (not saying that anyone here dosnt) I have a handful of friends who are veggies and have had many argument with resturants about choices for them! I cant understand why 60% of them think that being veggie means you eat fish???

 

Well isnt that an anamal there for a type of meat?

 

If they come to dinner I will either cook an alternitive meal for them or we will all have the same but in the veggies favor!

 

anyway I have five hens, I do respect other peeps choice but myself personally, I couldnt ever rear animals or any typ be it chickens, cows, any type of meat just for food.

 

all the best

 

Emma

[One Man Banned]

Joe and I have given up eating meat since we got the laydees. It was a choice we made when we thought more and more into where our food comes from. It also triggered something else in us that inspired us to grow our own vegetables this year - I even got an allotment a few weeks ago so I can grow 37 types of vegetables next year.

 

We always bought our meat considerately - always Organic and used the information labels to work out the type of life the animal had and the conditions it would have been kept in.

 

Even though we don't eat meat per se we do still eat fish. I would consider eating meat again some day in a similar way that Lesley has - by rearing my own animals for consumption.

 

It is my opinion that by nature we are carnivores but we have evoloved over time. We raise animals not only for meat but for the other products animals give us - to go really deep into this, we all have chickens here and eat the eggs. If we were totally for the procreation of animals we would have a cockrel in the garden with them and let every egg have the chance of being a chick. Why should we interfere with that process of nature?

 

Even though some don't like the view I have (I admit it can be a bit simplistic) Humans are the most intelligent species. We have evolved thus far so it is inevitable.

 

Everyone has their own views and opinions but no-one has the right or wrong or the place to tell anyone otherwise. We can only allow suggestion and thought to be applied to our decisions whatever they may be.

 

As long as the decision taken at the time is what we truly beleive in (and our views and choices do change over time) everyone has a right to make their own choices and hold their own set of personal beliefs without fear of what others may think of them.

[Jools]

Put much more eloquently than I could have, so thank you for expressing my views too !

[Lesley]

All very good replies - and as Annie said - there is no right or wrong, just varying shades of grey.

 

I was vegetarian for 25 years and have heard - and used - both sides of this discussion. I'm comfortable with doing what we do - I don't find it easy, but we respect our animals and they have a happy life while they are with us.

[chocchick]

Should the discussion on ethics be moved to another thread as the question was about how to do it?

For supermarkets....

It is a 25 minute drive to the farm shop (extra petrol) and they don't sell things like loo roll, flour, toiletries, and have limited fruit. We investigated delivery of fruit/veg baskets and they are about £25, and full of things we wouldn't eat. I shop at supermarkets, and one of my 2/3 local ones is Tesco. There is nowhere to park at my local shops and hard to take more than a small amount of shopping home by public transport, Tesco is the easiest by public transport, and Netto has a very limited range of products and often lower quality. The easiest by car is Morrisons.

I do eat meat, and I'm slowly learning about ethically-raised meat but couldn't personally raise it for consumption, or at least kill and prepare an animal.

[ubereglu]

I was thinking of doing the same thing. I don't think I'd be able to kill them though. But we have a friend who would be able to. I'm still trying to convince my Dad about the idea, but I don't think he'd agree. Housing isn't an issue as we still have the other wooden coop the hens used to live in.

[The Dogmother]

I see what you mean about splitting the thread Choccy, but it has grown organically (as most do here) and at the moment, I think we can leave it here and just see how it goes.

 

I have seen the lovely conditions that Lesley's animals are kept in and how happy they are. I have also seen Lesley and Carl agonising when one of them goes to slaughter; I understand why they do what they are doing and it's been thought out and debated over the years, as have the decisions made by other forum members here.

 

I don't have to room to raise my own meat, but wish that I did. I am as soppy about animals as the next animal lover, but was partly raised by pragmatic Italian grandparents, who kept animals for food and were mostly self-sufficient, so I wouldn't have any qualms about doing so.

 

I totally respect your position tara, and good for you for sticking by your principles. I buy all my meat and fish from local producers, who raise their animals in a way that I am happy with. We eat far less meat and fish than we used to, and savour it when we do have it

 

I do still shop from a supermarket for basic essentials - as a single parent, who has to work fulltime, i don't have a choice as it would be impossible for me to get these goods from local shops, or to find the time to do that. I hate having to do this, but we each have to cut our cloth according to our lifestyle and pocket. We all do what we feel comfortable with or are able to fit into our lives.

 

What I like most about this forum is the diversity of people and opinions that can be found here - we all contribute, support, listen to each other, debate and argue (or rant , eh Dan). It really is a cross section of society, and that's what i love about it - the camaraderie and tolerance.

[Paola]

Well said Clare