Hugh Fernly Whatsis name and Jamie didn't mention this though, did they???

[marmadukescarlet]

Having a conversation with a friend who runs a holiday 'petting' farm in WC about buying some chicks whilst I'm with her after Easter told me, and I am seriously about it...

Even Free range chickens are KILLED when they get to ONE YEAR old as they become less productive!!! This is insisted on by the supermarket that they produce for and the farmer has to pay for the slaughter too.

At least there is an organisation which liberates some battery hens at the end of their sad lives, but I'd never heard of this unecessary slaughter.

I get my eggs from a funny bloke who lives (almost) with his FR hens and am getting my own soon, will never buy supermarket FR eggs again.

I had a flock of 5yo hens who were still laying everyday when the fox killed them. I wouldn't consider a 1yo hen to be 'past it' at all.

I have no problem with them leading a free range lifestyle for a year then being killed for consumption....

All the same I prefer to know where the produce comes from and it's all well cared for. The famers wife I get our meat and eggs from is vegetarian .. she can't bring herself to eat them. All the animals have names.. I feel a bit guilty about flossy in my freezer

I was a vegetarian for about 15 years until about a year ago but suddenly got the urge to eat meat again! It is much easier to get meat now that has had a happy life. Lots more farm shops etc. I only buy from places that i trust so definately not supermarkets.
When i originally gave up meat it was much harder to buy good quality meat and i probably wouldn't have given it up if there had been more farmers markets and so on about.
Still can't eat chicken though. I've completely lost the taste for it.

me too redwino, i pay more and eat less meat I still eat 2 or 3 vegetarian meals a week.

Sparklybabe, if you go to my link it gives advice on how many hens for each house they sell and also how many hens per metre2.

Ok, I am not so horrified that they go into food. I thought that egg producing hens (and milk producing cows) got discarded.

Norks, glad to know they were still laying, sorry about the fox.

Redwino, yes when I go on my hen collecting hols some of the year old chickens who lay for a very nice supermarket are going to escape on the way to the slaughterhouse and move to Kent

I will be getting a few young uns too, so they are more 'cuddly' as my DCs are a bit, erm 'hands on'.

Well, the hens who NEVER lay, ie the male chick, are gassed straight after hatching. Thant's true whether they're free range, organic, whatever.
life is complex.