UK Member Please Say HI

[Meg22]

Hi, just found this thread. I'm in Sheffield with my 4 light Sussex hens. Feeling the cold today.

 

[Perris]

hello Meg
Is it you or the Light Sussex hens feeling the cold? Some of my flock left it late to moult and I think they really felt it in last week's cold snap, but it's less frosty today.

 

[Baba_Yaga]

Hi Perris, mine are also moulting late & feeling the cold. I give the oldest one a blow dry now and then to warm her up (she loves it). Privileges of age!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

It was -2 here this morning so a bit nippy! How very UK to be talking about the weather

My hens are old at 9 so I do worry about them feeling the cold a tad more now

 

[Ali T]

Knock knock knock, anyone still on this thread?

Yes i am still on this

 

[Ali T]

It was -2 here this morning so a bit nippy! How very UK to be talking about the weather

My hens are old at 9 so I do worry about them feeling the cold a tad more now

My hens are 2yrs old and enjoy getting out in the garden but mostly head in to their hut if it gets wet or too cold

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Yes i am still on this

My hens are 2yrs old and enjoy getting out in the garden but mostly head in to their hut if it gets wet or too cold

Thankfully mine still have a bit of sense and do get in out of the weather. I have covered runs but sometimes the sideways rain does get in, a wet polish hen sure does look pitiful

 

[Meg22]

hello Meg
Is it you or the Light Sussex hens feeling the cold? Some of my flock left it late to moult and I think they really felt it in last week's cold snap, but it's less frosty today.

Both. The girls are still growing their feathers out but at least there's no skin showing now. I always feel the cold.

 

[Perris]

And we have another nail in the coffin of the term 'free range'

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/proposed-changes-to-egg-labelling-rules-support-british-industry

A propos the bit that says "

Chief Executive of British Free Range Egg Producers Association, Robert Gooch said:​

“The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) is delighted that producers should be able to protect their hens from the risk of bird flu by housing their hens in accordance with Government requirements without having to relabel their eggs, as a result of this consultation. It would also align the free range egg marketing rules with the European Union, which is important as it means that British producers will be on a level playing field with European farmers.”

someone in England or Scotland might like to complete the survey, and point out that 2 wrongs don't make a right. (There's no point me responding to it, I'm in Wales so they'll ignore me.) Just because the EU allows eggs laid by hens with not even access to the outside (apparently indefinitely, so potentially for their entire lifetimes) to be called 'free range' does not mean we should.

Housed hens are not free range hens. They can already be locked up for FOUR months - that's a third of the year - before the labels have to change. They might as well not bother with labels; they're more marketing devices than information sources already. Or maybe you could get the Advertising Standards Agency involved? They're supposed to prevent false descriptions of products.

The poultry industry needs to tackle AI by changing its practices, not by calling black white.

 

[Jenni Hen]

And we have another nail in the coffin of the term 'free range'

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/proposed-changes-to-egg-labelling-rules-support-british-industry

A propos the bit that says "

Chief Executive of British Free Range Egg Producers Association, Robert Gooch said:​

“The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) is delighted that producers should be able to protect their hens from the risk of bird flu by housing their hens in accordance with Government requirements without having to relabel their eggs, as a result of this consultation. It would also align the free range egg marketing rules with the European Union, which is important as it means that British producers will be on a level playing field with European farmers.”

someone in England or Scotland might like to complete the survey, and point out that 2 wrongs don't make a right. (There's no point me responding to it, I'm in Wales so they'll ignore me.) Just because the EU allows eggs laid by hens with not even access to the outside (apparently indefinitely, so potentially for their entire lifetimes) to be called 'free range' does not mean we should.

Housed hens are not free range hens. They can already be locked up for FOUR months - that's a third of the year - before the labels have to change. They might as well not bother with labels; they're more marketing devices than information sources already. Or maybe you could get the Advertising Standards Agency involved? They're supposed to prevent false descriptions of products.

The poultry industry needs to tackle AI by changing its practices, not by calling black white.

In the survey, the item about location includes options for UK and for 'other', in addition to England and Scotland, so I would expect that a response from Wales would be processed.

Producers will no longer need to change how eggs are labelled during an outbreak of avian influenza under proposals planned to support British farmers set out by the Government today (Tuesday 9 January 2024).
...enabling free-range eggs to be marketed as such for the duration of any mandatory housing measures in England and Scotland.

The extension would probably only last a couple of months beyond the 16-week period so the impact of the relabelling cost is disproportionate. Some producers really struggled to manage the cost of changes to labelling that were required a few years back and anyone attempting organic/ free-range production now must be on the margin of viability. I don't like the idea of requiring free-range producers to spend thousands on relabelling when there would also be so many other costs due to the outbreak (disinfectant, changes of clothing, extra work for the biosecurity measures, run covers etc).

Those who normally keep the birds in sheds don't have the extra cost of providing protective cover and I don't want to give those guys the commercial advantage of having similar status as a free-range producer. Otherwise, the free-range producers might need to stop using the land for chicken ranging and use it for something more profitable just to stay afloat.

The survey does include a question about whether the labelling information might be misleading, and asks for any suggestions on how to manage this issue.
I've suggested new free-range labelling to include a statement that birds may be housed for protection in the event of an outbreak of disease.