To be mildly irritated at being told to use free range eggs

[Kungfutea]

So many recipes sanctimoniously say to use free range eggs. Nothing else is free range and there seems to be no concern for the welfare of any other animals.

Obviously eggs from caged hens would work just as well, people don't buy free range for the flavour (at least I don't notice a difference).

I know, not a big deal (and as it happens I do always buy free range and we try to buy humanely farmed other animal products) but I do find it a little irritating and a bit hypocritical for a recipe to specifically state that free range eggs should be used. Leave the ethical decisions to me, thanks. Aibu?

[crashdoll]

Arf at being called an unfeeling cunt because I care about humans more than chickens.

I do care about animal welfare btw but I'd always prioritise a human over a chicken.

[TheDeadlyDonkey]

There are pros and cons to each Roooney.
Having seen and compared the systems, I would say that a free range system with large doors and plenty of space is far better, but the farms that offer this are rare.
If you buy eggs from a supermarket (FR, battery or barn), birds from enriched cages, on average, actually have more room, and more natural social groups. They don't get the option to feel the sun on their backs, but then again, neither do the majority of free range intensively farmed birds.
It appears to me (again from having seen these systems in action) that there is more control in battery farming, it's not perfect, but it's not pretending to be, unlike free range systems. Sorry, unlike the majority of free range systems I should say!

[MadeOfStarDust]

it does not have to be "better than battery" - battery DOES NOT EXIST in this country any more - caged birds are kept in a lower density than free range, with more nests etc

most - as in OVER 90% of free range birds are kept in the old battery style sheds - but without cages, (9 birds per square m) with a small outside run. Do not kid yourselves that commercially produced free-range-egg laying hens are any better off than before.

[TheDeadlyDonkey]

Advertising works. People imagine happy free range chickens, pottering about in and out of woods, perhaps having a ride on a quad bike.

It is advertising.
It does not reflect real life. If the adverts showed how the chickens were kept, even the ones with genuinely higher welfare, I think people would be shocked.
Same as all other advertising. If it showed real life, products wouldn't sell.

[TheDeadlyDonkey]

yy Made.

[LadyJuice]

How proud you sound to be able to be so offensive without compunction.

...says the woman who is proud to call others 'cunts'

[KatyTheCleaningLady]

I suppose if I did a side-by-side comparison of soft boiled battery and truly free range eggs, I would taste a difference. I don't do that, though. So, no. I don't notice a difference in taste. Even when my friend gave me eggs from her pet chickens, I never noticed anything special about the taste.

And, personally, I am happy about that because this way I don't have to care about anything other than price and perhaps animal welfare.

I don't really care about chickens, but I do feel bad for pigs. Not enough to stop eating my bacon roll from Greggs every morning, but I don't buy fresh pork to prepare at home.

[RoooneyMara]

I didn't say I was proud of it. I just couldn't think of another word.

[StealthPolarBear]

Genuine question - where should we get eggs from? I had no idea free range was so bad. We use loads , I have one for breakfast most morning, kids havr them one night most weeks and most weeks we either bake or have Yorkshire puddings

[sweetestcup]

Rooooneymara, no I havent seen a chicken or care about how its treated, not until its wrapped in clingfilm and I can buy it in a supermarket.

[Trills]

YANBU

It is silly.

Ingredients should only be as specific as necessary in order for the recipe to work.

Specifying what kind of flour - self-raising or plain - fine.

Saying that you prefer Italian 00 flour but that normal plain will work - fine.

Saying that you must buy a particular brand - not fine.

[LadyJuice]

Rooney, are you serious? You couldn't think of an alternative to the deeply misogynistic and brutal 'cunt'?

Are you cerebrally-challenged?

[Branleuse]

youre wrong to say free range is no worse. It may not be perfect, but its still a hell of a lot better than caged or barn eggs

[MadeOfStarDust]

Britain

Britain has 30,000,000 egg-laying hens.

They lay nine billion eggs annually.

22 million are caged hens.

Two million are barn hens.

Five million are free-range hens.

Source: British Egg Information Service.
These 5 million chickens don't live in little barns with a chicken run - for those numbers you have big sheds with 10,000 chickens in...

[RoooneyMara]

I was certainly intellectually challenged at 8.30 this morning. I'm sorry if it offended people in that way. I was rather shocked at some of the callous posts regarding chickens and their apparent lack of a right to being treated humanely.

Do people WANT Chinese style farming here? Really? And their allied human rights stance, too?

This was my point. As women we should understand more than anyone else that these creatures deserve to be farmed humanely if they are farmed at all.

I commented on Tee's delight in using the word 'fuck', not on the fact she had felt inclined to use it.

[Arisbottle]

Our chickens are completely free range and our eggs taste better than the average shop bought egg, although some of that is down to freshness. They are also fantastic for baking.

I don't understand why you would not buy free range unless you were in really dire financial straits, and certainly not how it would annoy you.

[SplitHeadGirl]

I get my eggs from my farmer uncle. I could never and would never buy eggs from battery hens. No way will I knowingly allow an animal to suffer in my name.

[TheDeadlyDonkey]

Stealth - if you have a local chicken keeper, you can pretty much guarantee that the chickens have a relatively happy life, doing stuff that chickens do.

If not, if you can afford organic, they do have higher welfare.
If your choice is between supermarket free range, barn or battery, like I said, there are pros and cons, but not really anything much between them.

[babyhammock]

Just wanted to offer a bit of support to Rooney really. I can't believe the number of posters who couldn't give a toss about how the chicken lived.
We keep bantam chicken's too btw and they're such friendly amiable animals

[RoooneyMara]

Thankyou Babyhammock. It's unbelievable isn't it

[TheDeadlyDonkey]

To be fair though, not everyone has space/time/money to keep chickens, or has access to eggs laid by happy, well cared for chickens. So assuming they're not vegans, where do they buy eggs?
If you can't afford organic, there's no real humane option.
But thinking down that line, do you consider how a dairy cow lives when you buy a bottle of milk, or some cheese or butter, or could you keep a cow in your garden? If not, it's hypocritical.

[RevoltingPeasant]

Rooney quite.

You know, historically, in parts of Europe, wolves predated upon humans. Because they could, I guess. Suppose that makes wolves more important than humans?

I love the idea that there's a binary choice between Feeding My Kidz and giving a fuck for any other living thing. Because yes, your dc will explode if they don't consume animal protein at least once a day.

[crashdoll]

*"But thinking down that line, do you consider how a dairy cow lives when you buy a bottle of milk, or some cheese or butter, or could you keep a cow in your garden? If not, it's hypocritical."

^ this!

[Arisbottle]

We don't keep a cow in the garden, but we do buy dairy products and meat carefully . This is more expensive and more difficult than bing free range eggs which I would have thought is almost the norm now.

[TheDeadlyDonkey]

I'd like to have a cow in the garden. Not sure what the neighbours would say though :)