That chicken programme, on at 9 tonight, hugh someone...

[charliecat]

3p a chicken the supermarkets pay

[PeachesMcLean]

3p?????

Is this the chef fight thing with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall?

[rantinghousewife]

Hugh Fearlessly Eatsitall, as he's commonly known, or is that just in this house?

[charliecat]

Yep thats the one.

[MarkStretch]

I am debating whether of not to watch this. I really want to but I know by the end of it I will be disgusted by the way the chickens are treated but I can't afford to buy free range organic happy chickens so what do I do?

[charliecat]

go vegetarian

[08aGreatYearForCarmenere]

This is a REALLY important subject. the general public need to know how their cheap food is produced, it is far too easy to gloss over the horrendous conditions chickens are kept in in order to produce the cheapest meat possible.
The absolute least you should do is buy free range birds and even some of them will be treated horrifically.
I am not a vegetarian btw but I believe that as humans we have a responsibility to farm in a responsible manner.

[MarkStretch]

It's all very well for Hugh Fearlessly Eatsitall to make these shows but he can rear his own chickens in the grounds of his cottage in the country!

I wonder if he will recommend things for us mere mortals to do to improve the situation?

[Iota]

I don't think I can bear to watch it. I buy free range.

[08aGreatYearForCarmenere]

Mark watch the programme and do without chicken, it is too important in terms of health and moral responsibility to ignore.

[junkinmytrunk]

I've watched quite a few of his programmes and for a long time now I will only buy free range chicken & eggs.
Annoys dh because of the cost but I stand my ground as I will only have happy chickens and you will notice that free range taste soooooo much better

[08aGreatYearForCarmenere]

Do without chicken, only buy one good quality bird a week and use it properly.

[rantinghousewife]

Agree with Carmenere but, we are lucky as we live not far from several farms where you can go pick your chicken iyswim.
Plus ds's school is on a farm, which is free range (the dc's have to work on it as part of their curriculum), so we get all of our meat from there.

[MerryPIFFLEmas]

I gave up chicken unless it was free range, go to your local butcher, their meat os 90% free range and locally sourced and this way you know it has been free range in most cases
Our local butcher is cheaper than tescos for thighs and chopped chicken.
Now we only eat it 1 -2 x a fortnight and it is always free range.

[MarkStretch]

I can eek out a chicken for days if I need too and often do. Good idea.

[tortoiseSHELL]

We only buy chickens that have been reared properly - the broiler chicken trade is too appalling to sponsor through paying for it - I would rather not buy chicken at all.

Something else to consider is that if you buy a product containing eggs (eg a ready made cake), then if you buy own brand from Waitrose or M&S it uses free range eggs, if you buy from any of the others then the chances are you are indirectly sponsoring the battery hen industry.

[Iota]

I read this article about the programme

some horrifying details

[sherby]

I will watch

Then I will fret and be sad

Then DP will shout at me when I refuse to buy non organic free range chicken

If I had more money I really really would spend it on decent meat, it would be my first priority, it is even on my 'what I would do if I won the lottery list'

[08aGreatYearForCarmenere]

Asda organic range is really good value(if you can resolve the moral dilemma of shopping in a Walmart subsidiary) ie they are ripping off the farmer but at least the meat will have had a chance at a half-way decent life.

[Mercy]

Thanks for the reminder - had forgotten

[southeastastra]

tesco (and the like) with their two chickens for a fiver should take most of the blame. consumers can do so much but i really doubt customers will all suddenly buy free range/organic whilst there are cheap ones on the shelves.

chickens are getting cheaper, my mum used to spend about a fiver on one in the 1980s i'm sure.

[ballbaby]

For those who can't afford free range chicken - Morrison's do two "freedom food" corn fed chicken legs for about £1.80 which does me and dh nicely!

[charliecat]

bump so folks are reminded its on...

[charliecat]

now!

[FrayedKnot]

I find I manage quite well without chicken being a major part of my diet.

Not sure why we need to ask what we would do if it was more expensive. Eat more of something else?

Beans and lentils are cheap and I don;t worry so much about their welfare whilst being grown and harvested.

[DaphneHarvey]

Am utterly sick of this "but I can't afford free range chicken" whinge. Listened to hours of it on radio phone-ins this morning.

I buy a chicken about once a month. It costs me £7 - £10 (free range or organic, depending on size). The rest of the time we do without.

There is no law that says we are all entitled to eat chicken, no matter what it costs the poor chicken in terms of suffering to have it.

You could live to 100 and never eat another chicken or chicken product and you know it all you chest-beating whiners. And you know it. Grrrrrr grrrrr grrrrr grrrrr.