BS: Would you buy battery eggs?

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: GUEST,Bill the sound
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 08:23 PM

NO - I wouldn't know where to put the batteries.(No improper suggests please)

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 06:42 PM

If you hatched a shaky egg what would emerge?...

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: maeve
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 05:50 PM

Thee are those who would argue that shaky eggs do indeed belong waaay down here, but I'll let them stumble across your point, Mo the caller!

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 05:40 PM

But this section is for non-musical items, so shaky eggs belong here don't they

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Rowan
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 04:27 PM

When I saw the thread title I immediately thought someone had inadvertently put a discussion on electric shaky eggs in the wrong part of the forum.

No and No.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 01:49 PM

Well, I was so shocked at spending £500 on arc, flock net and electric that I started a spread sheet to see how soon I'd break even.
Mine get Allen and Page feed, but not the organic. They don't like the local mill's pellets (which are a few pence cheaper and come in 25kg bags instead of 20kg).
As well as the eggs there's the entertainment value - and the holes dug in the grass, pecks taken out of all the low growing fruit, scratched up veggies.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Bee
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 11:33 AM

I'm waiting for my neighbours flock to start producing regularly.

Friend of mine got gifted with two battery hens a few years ago, and as the PA noted, they couldn't perch to begin with. They did have beaks, but they lay on the ground staring at food for about a day before it seemed to click in that it was edible. Didn't walk for several days, during which time the crowd of young meat roosters friend was raising had a field day lining up to have their way with these unmoving targets. Within weeks they were as feisty as any normal hen, running around and beating off the roosters with aplomb.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 10:46 AM

Many, many years ago I knew of an egg farm that might pass muster here. The birds were kept in pens/rooms with 3 sq yards per bird. The floor sloped so the eggs rolled into a trough for collection. There were low roosts at the far end. Not perfect, from some points of view, but it might be a fair compromise.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: The PA
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 09:47 AM

Mo: its interesting that you have worked out the price of your eggs. I dont think that would be easy with our gang, what with the cockrels and the duck. I'm sure some of our hens only lay when they feel like it, some are really quite old and only lay in the summer. We also supplement their feed with anything from the house, stale bread, veg peelings, fruit that looks a bit dodgy etc.
Our son's doing A level maths, I'll get him on to it!
Ours are organic (Allen and Page feeds) and free range, but so so worth it.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Desdemona
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 09:39 AM

I'm very mindful of how lucky we are to live in area where we have a lot of options in terms of food shopping, and to be able to afford them. It's funny you should mention the poultry regulations; we have a friend who has wanted to keep chickens for years (he's also a bee-keeper: free honey!!), and has learned that up to four are permitted within our city limits, but his wife won't hear of it...thus far, all his carefully marshalled, well-supported arguments about fresh organic eggs have fallen on deaf ears...of course, they already have four kids and a dog so I can sort of see her point!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 09:39 AM

The link in the first post shows a BBC news report of lots of battery hens being rehomed.
I used to buy 'Free Range' eggs, but wasn't really sure what I was getting, as they were not 'Soil Association' which are the ones here (UK) that enforce the best standards. So now I keep my own. We spent quite a lot setting up, as we didn't fancy the DIY route, so the average cost/egg was 60p at the end of the first year (a big improvement on £35/egg at the end of the first week). It's now 17p/egg (7p for food/replacement hens etc, 10p for the house and run).

Supermarket labelling is so confusing. 'Organic eggs' doesn't mean free range, it just means fed on organically grown feeds.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: maeve
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 09:38 AM

I wonder if the Grow a Row For the Hungry program, which gets fresh veggies and fruits to food banks, might be a channel for eggs as well. At certain times of the year at least, many home egg growers have an excess to give away. The poultry regulations do keep folks from raising their own within some cities and towns, but there's no reason eggs couldn't be made available. $2.00 would be cheap for homegrown eggs here, but it's not cheap when you have so little money for food.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Sorcha
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 09:25 AM

And, money talks. When store bought (battery) eggs are .89 cents/doz and barn/farm eggs are $2.00/doz where is the choice for poor people? Besides farm egg people can't take food stamps, WIC cards, etc.

Most towns/communities also have regulations pertaining to poultry in the city limits, so don't say just raise chickens.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: maeve
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 09:15 AM

Sorcha's correct. In many communities there are no home grown or responsibly grown eggs. I wonder how many requests to store managers it might take and how much information could be given to them before better egg sources would be found.

maeve

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Sorcha
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 08:35 AM

Some folks don't have a lot of choice.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 08:28 AM

I see they are selling battery eggs in my local sex shop now!
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Desdemona
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 07:43 AM

I don't eat eggs, but my kids still do on occasion; we're fortunate to have access to organic free-range eggs from a nearby farm when we do buy them. Knowing what we do today about factory farming practices, I just couldn't stomach supporting that kind of misery (to say nothing of consuming the produce thereof).

~D

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: The PA
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 07:14 AM

Eanjay: Years ago we had some ex-battery birds. We had to teach them to perch by placing them actually onto the perch. In the beginning they just kept falling off, it was sad but you had to laugh. They soon got the hang of it. Feeding was tricky as they have no beaks (until they grow back). You have to make sure they're warm enough too until they get proper feathers. They lived for years and years with us. It was hard work but so worthwhile to see them out in the sunshine the following spring.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: maeve
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 07:03 AM

No; our bantams would never forgive me!

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 06:51 AM

I always used to buy barn eggs but now I go for free range.

There is a scheme where you can rescue battery hens from death once they are deemed past their "useful" life. A friend of mine has got all the housing and is hoping to take 4 of them. Although they look dreadful after being in those tiny, uncomfortable and barbaric cages they do soon start to look good and happy if they are properly and kindly looked after.

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: redsnapper
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 06:02 AM

Have not done so for 25 years at least.

RS

Subject: RE: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: The PA
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 04:52 AM

NO NEVER EVER WOULD RATHER GO WITHOUT.

We have 22 hens 2 cockrels and a mallard that cannot fly. They live a comfortable existance in a large run with a pond and two sheds during the day if we are not about. If we are around they have the 'run' of 12 acres plus our apple orchard. Our neighbours have much the same set up for their birds. They are locked up at night safe from the fox. These are intellegent, sensitive creatures that should never ever be locked in cages.

I know we are probably the luck exception, but after owning and looking after hens on a day to day basis I would never buy eggs from a source where I could not see how they are kept.

Our eggs taste much better too.

Rant over.

Subject: BS: Would you buy battery eggs?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 06 Nov 07 - 04:28 AM

Would you buy battery eggs?