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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to be angry with people who do not buy free range eggs?

646 replies

ohnoudidnt · 08/04/2011 19:58

I know that they cost more, but surely it is worth the extra to know the bird has had a better standard of living.

OP posts:
pinkmagic1 · 08/04/2011 21:57

We are on a very low income but the thought of eating battery eggs makes me feel queesy.
We have a very small garden, which is entirely used for raising our own chickens and growing our own veg. 3 of our hens are ex battery rescue hens and if you saw the state they arrived in you wouldn't touch caged eggs again. The cost of feeding our chickens works out cheaper than the cheapest of cheap eggs. A large 20 kg sack of feed which normally lasts around 3 months when supplemented with table scraps costs £8 but can be got as cheaply as £6 if you shop around. You can get wood shavings from a lot of wood mills for free if you take your own sack for them to fill.
I am not overly sentimental and we even sometimes hatch and raise birds for the table, but I believe if we are going to use animals for food we owe them a decent humane life.

youcangetpregnantstandingup · 08/04/2011 21:58

Chocolatecovered - I will continue to do my best for my family.

I'm afraid feeding them cheap crap is doing quite the opposite!

Scottish - I said that if you're skint, potato waffles are a better alternative to chicken nuggets. Which they are. Sorry!

Telling people to make better choices is nothing to do with my sensibilities - it doesn't hurt me personally if people eat meat or dairy.

chocolatecoveredlissielou · 08/04/2011 21:58

molly, it is NOT easy or healthy for everyone to "go vegan" for a bit. Hmm

expatinscotland · 08/04/2011 21:58

applauds lissielou!

LaWeasel · 08/04/2011 21:59

And vegan diets can lead to deficiencies causing osteophrosis, rickets, iron deficiency... major problems if not done very strictly and carefully.

It is very very stupid to recommend huge diet changes to people who aren't well informed about what to eat, when and why.

youcangetpregnantstandingup · 08/04/2011 21:59

GreenEyes, yeah waffles aren't great, I agree. But if you're very poor, as I have been, and it's them or a £1 bag of Iceland chicken nuggets, I went for the waffles every time!

zukiecat · 08/04/2011 21:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thingumy · 08/04/2011 22:00

I think lots us have had vegan days but not through wanting it but being damn well skint and not having the money to buy milk or meat.

chocolatecoveredlissielou · 08/04/2011 22:00

as will I, and ensuring that my family get a hot, nutritious meal everyday and that they go to bed with full stomachs is important to me, so dont condescend to me or anyone else who doesnt fit in with your rather idealistic and narrow view of the world.

MarianneM · 08/04/2011 22:01

Eating meat every day or every other day is a luxury.

mollyt · 08/04/2011 22:02

chocolatecovered - what is hard about it?

youcangetpregnantstandingup · 08/04/2011 22:02

It's you who has a narrow view of the world chocolate if you can't care about anyone or anything else but your own family and can't/won't put more imagination into feeding them better.

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 08/04/2011 22:02

Well said, pinkmagic1

LaWeasel · 08/04/2011 22:02

So go on then, marianne, when were you poor and what did you eat?

sand from the floor rather than hurting the poor chickens perhaps?

youcangetpregnantstandingup · 08/04/2011 22:03

Well said zukiecat.

worraliberty · 08/04/2011 22:03

MrsBananaGrabber Im not petty or horrible,I just think people should respect what they eat and care about how that animal has had to live its life.

Then why aren't you a vegan instead of a veggie OP?

If you care so much about hens, you won't want to see them sent to a very early death when they stop producing eggs will you? Hmm

expatinscotland · 08/04/2011 22:03

It's not a suitable diet for everyone.

beesimo · 08/04/2011 22:04

When you buy 'value' eggs the yolk (sorry) is on you becuse you are buying a crap product that is actually worth far far less than you pay for it. If battery farmers weren't making big bucks out of you misguided fools the they wouldn't be screeching and howling because they are going to be banned-hopefully.

Value ranges my eye it would make a cat laugh!

buttonmooncup · 08/04/2011 22:04

I'll ask again do any of the vegns/free range lovers on here buy Fairtrade whenever possible?

scottishmummy · 08/04/2011 22:04

yes we all have choice and berating folk for their choice of food that doesnt concur with dripping sentimentality and what about the widdle animals really is quite galling and sanctimonious

mollyt · 08/04/2011 22:04

LaWeasel - you sound like the gran off the royal family - 'vegetarian?it's a shame for her.' Or like my bloody family come to that.

LaWeasel · 08/04/2011 22:05

I prioritise meat this month because MY family with OUR particular circumstances needs as much protein as possible.

On other occasions I have just not had eggs and concentrated on carbs to fill us up.

But that is not a choice this month.

GreenEyesandHam · 08/04/2011 22:06

I always buy free range eggs, but even so I'm getting fed up with this patronising and condescending 'I care about this so you should care about it too and if not you're a sub-human shithead. Feed your kids dust' crap

usualsuspect · 08/04/2011 22:06

YABU

I will buy what I like

youcangetpregnantstandingup · 08/04/2011 22:06

LaWeasel, really? You genuinely don't understand what alternatives there are to chicken?
you can eat, if you just cut out meat-

pasta
noodles
rice
pizza (no need to be unhealthy if you buy your own bases, tomato passata, and top with veg)

in many different varieties.

It is not hard at all, and not expensive. A big value pack of pasta, some tomatoes, onions and garlic will make 2 weekly dinner. A pack of noodles and more veg, another two.