jackian Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Just been listening to "Farming today" on radio 4 about the new chicken rules starting in January...I know the poor chicks are going to have more space but I am still amazed that these farmers can discuss how happy their girls are going to be without still feeling ashamed. A yellow perch they can jump onto a square scratching pad made of metal and if I am right their food comes down a tube when they can get on the scratching pad But my imagination was running wild when the interviewer asked "What is that red curtain in the corner ?it looks like a changing room" ... The farmer said "Oh it is really ,they queue up outside it in regimental order and go in one at a time to lay their egg " I just imagine them all queued up with crossed legs . And I get concerned sometimes about my girls having to be shut inside their WIR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bantambabe Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 a vanity curtain - cos we know how shy the girls get about laying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 And how many chickens in this space? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfer_chicken Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 See page 2, point 8 for the specifications of an enriched cage: http://www.fawc.org.uk/pdf/enriched-cages.pdf I would still never buy eggs from these birds, I don't think they should be kept like this, but I have to remind myself it is a lot better than the old system and I can only hope it continues to progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 I don't think they have much more space.All the farmer seemed top be concerned about was how much it had cost him and the fact that some Europeon countries won't be ready in time for the change over and so only England seems to have gone in line "Thank goodness for once"...I am not impressed at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House MD 221B Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 We have a "free-range" near us, and I happened to stop on my Motrobike and was just talking to the chickens and watching them in what was to be fair, quite a large field. The farmer came over and we got chatting, and he offered to show me around, and while I knew I probably wasn't going to like what I saw, I thought for my own education at least I aught to take him up on his offer. Now they were large mini aircraft hangars essentially, and the chickens were kicked out of the roost and it was blocked off to them by 12 noon I think he said, then they could free-range till about 5, and the roost blockers would automatically lift at 6pm. And there were easily about 1,000 chickens free-ranging in this huge field, (although they'd all bunched themselves into the near corner which they'd turned into a giant dirt patch with the rest of the field luscious green grass lol But when he showed me inside there was at least a few hundred crammed in wing to wing, however the door was open and there was food both inside and out. They all looked in relatively good condition, no pecking or blood and all have good feathers etc. This is probably one of the better ones, but I must admit, I did feel for them, and wasn't that impressed with what I saw, but that could be because our girls are pets, we love them, for him they are a working animal and so there is less sentimentality over it. He didn't have to show me around, as he certainly wasn't trying to sell me anything. But there are too many chickens who don't get a good enough standard of care. And farmers fall short of sympathy for having to spend a bit more money on the well-being of their livestock for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nannyhenny Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 The problem is, the public won't pay what it would cost for genuinely free range eggs. If all you want is cheap, you get what you're given. In fairness, British farmers will all go over to the improved standards (a bit improved, anyway) but they're worried that cheap eggs from hideous systems in the rest of Europe will be brought in by the wretched supermarkets because than they can offer them more cheaply or make bigger profits. I do hope British farmers will launch an advertising campaign to explain why the 'little lion' eggs may be a bit more expensive. Where's the Egg Marketing Board when you need it! Spread the word -eggs cost money to produce well and we need to pay it if we care at all about the birds! Meanwhile, we'll have our own (gloat, gloat!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
