Commercial Egg production

[Frosty]

I have one question, I don't know if you have an answer... I believe by government standards, 'free range' simply means that the poultry has access to go outside. There are a lot of sites that claim that the birds don't actually go out because they are 'afraid' to. I find this hard to believe... do you know if there is any truth to it?

And as far as piling manure outside... I do that with my horse manure and poultry litter. It's called a compost pile. If properly managed, it heats up and decomposes. This pile doesn't have snow on it in the winter because it melts off (and the pile is steaming when it's -20F) After it composts, it gets worked into my garden. I don't use chemical fertilizers. Did you know that Miracle Grow added to water with mosquito larva kills the larva? So what does it do to life in the soil?

 

[Settin'_Pretty]

Quote:
What do you mean finally?
If you have a better way, then implement it, billions of people depend on the food.


**edited to remove inflammatory remarks. Keep it civil and on topic**

The path to improvement has already been identified. I will state it again... Provide more space for the birds. The mechanism for getting onto that path will have to be regulation. (Yes.... Despite my distaste for government interference... in this case... I am advocating it to to curb the market forces that have led to the acknowledged bad conditions that currently exist.)

Market forces have no conscience. They can only be held in check by society setting standards and insisting they be adhered to. So yes ... goverment regulation will be required. Enforcement will be needed because there are always those who have trouble adhering to the rules.


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Really isn't much point in me responding is there, since my responses keep getting deleted.
So by censorship, you win the debate, I yield.

 

[DuckLady]

Settin Pretty, you can respond, just do it politely.
That is not censorship, that is enforcing the rules.

 

[Settin'_Pretty]

Quote:
ok

 

[NC chicken man]

Around my neck of the woods if you raise chickens or turkeys for the big boys they will not let you have any kind of other birds on the same farm and most want let you keep a bird in your house if they know it.

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

Any more questions? And i douht they are afraid of getting out unless the owners did somethign to make them dislike the outside. For our dead they are just sent out to the fields. The birds of prey come and eat the remainders. Usually the manure spreader will chop them in to peaces. For the last post. That is just precausion. I'm not aloud to go near any Indoor birds. I can't even go into a pet store and look at them

But my chickens fill the void

 

[Nupine]

Interesting thread. Could post some pics of the facility and birds? Pretty please. And how big are the cages? I think you said you had 5 birds in a 1.5x1.5 cage!! Is that true?

 

[NC chicken man]

Do you mean you can have your chickens and their chickens on the same farm?

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

Thats an aproximate the cages i havent measured yet, been bussy with my cage free chickens. But they cages were able to hold 9 chickens. And no i cant post any of the chickens in the cage only a photo of the old cage layouts.

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

Yes because I own my own company and my outside birds are part of the company