To ask you to look at this?

[falaff]

Inspired by the fur post... to please understand the differences between different types of hen eggs on supermarket shelves. And to understand that free range doesn't = happy hen.

I know organic eggs are expensive, but if just a few people make the change, if you can, it makes a difference.

I keep chickens and they are lovely little creatures. They deserve to have happy lives like anything else.

These graphics are from Riverford Organic Farmers and came up on my Facebook.

Supermarket free range are basically barn hens with the door open.

And there are often so many hens in there that they can't get near the exit to go outside.

Thanks. I'll have to look into it and find out what we'd need to do and if it sounds like a good idea then go on the babies names forum for some old lady choices, I guess! Oh yes and chat to DH about it too!

Thanks OP, I didn’t know. I normally buy the Clarence Court Cotswold Legbar free range eggs. Just looked on Ocado and the description of the living conditions sounds ok but they’re not organic, disappointing.

I'm lucky enough to know a lady with lots of free range chickens, just five minutes drive away. She sells the eggs and will reserve some for you if text or phone her first. The eggs are on the small side but the quality is excellent and the birds are in great shape.

One you have eggs from your own hens anything else just pales in comparison, literally! It must be all the slugs!

I'm really sorry but as a single parent on a very low income with kids to feed, I can't afford to swap.

@Cineraria I have five ex battery hens and 5 that we bought as POL (point of lay) hens. The battery girls still give us 4-5 eggs a day between them which is the same average as our POL girls. Factory chickens (be it organic, free range or caged hens) are sold for slaughter at about 72 weeks old because the number of eggs they lay can start to decrease but hens can live for 7-8 years so they are slaughtered at a very young (and still productive) age.

Thanks. I'll definitely swap to organic. I didn't realise free range were still so bad.

willthedoctorchaseme that's OK, we do what we can and we can't do everything! Maybe you could share with others?

You could maybe buy organic eggs if you ever see them in the reduced isle and put then in the fridge. They will still last for weeks. I am trying to be veggie/vegan but will still buy reduced meat if I think it will get chucked in the bin!

Do the chickens take much looking after?

I'm probably being thick here but is it actually ok to eat their eggs when they've been eating garden slugs etc?

Of course, the more slugs the better. Proper free range eggs taste amazing. Chickens don't take much looking after, they need space to roam and a house where they can perch. The food is very cheap. They will eat leftovers too.

You can make a run from chicken wire or a movable one with electric fencing which will protect them from foxes and dogs. You can then move it too so that they don't ruin your grass and they get fresh pickings.

Just don't get then if you have immaculate flower beds as they will do their best to dig them up!!

That fantastic, I had heard a while ago that free range isn't much better than battery, and can actually be worse.

Dh gets ours from a farm nearby when he can, they taste so much nicer.

I'd love to keep chickens, whether I'd ever actually do it but I love the idea of it.

Wow, thanks for posting OP!

I've shared the poster on Instagram and Facebook and will be buying organic from now on!

Same here Tatgalore. I'm sure that I'll mention it to DH and he'll come up with a very sensible reason why not (DC getting pecked/no suitable location in the garden etc) but I do like the idea and the DC love eggs and are both quite farm animal obsessed, so I think they would be really happy.

My friend's mum had chickens a few years back and they used to peck my mum's feet and chase her round the garden if we visited because she wore nail varnish on her toenails!