I have found this thread very educational. Thank you CEF for showing us the other side of the fence. Keep on trying to be as ethical as you can, as long as you don't run yourselves into the negatives. I know balancing ethics and money can be very difficult, the world is not a perfect place, but I do hope you keep pushing to be more and more ethical.
If you are worried about posting pictures of the laying hens, then don't. There are plenty of pictures of battery hens all over the web, and if your family's farm is something similar, there really isn't any need.
For those who haven't read the whole thread or are confused on the situation. CEF himself owns 650 birds, his farm, his birds(the 650) are cage free and free range farmed. His family also owns a battery house, not his personally owned. The battery house has 60, 000 hens in it, instead of the suggested 100, 000. The battery cages have about 5 hens to a cage, that is generally built and suggested to hold 9. CEF, was here to explain that people who own these farms are not ALL evil or callaused to the birds needs. CEF's family battery house is most likely taking considerable losses because they have not MAXed out the living quarters according to the "commercially suggested" limits. CEF's family is trying to be more ethical but they are still having to compete with other battery farms(those that truly do not care for the birds and MAX out the limits), so this prevents CEF family from going to purely pastured, cage free, or free range birds. Free range, cage free, and pastured eggs will never be able to compete with battery eggs on prices. So it is a difficult balance of ethics and money, commercial farming is a business whether we like it or not. You cannot run a business into the negatives, or else the business will die and your family will take HUGE losses.
Continually asking CEF to post pictures of the current battery hens is not getting anywhere. He has been asked at least 4 times already, most likely more, so please quit asking, he has answered the exact same everytime. He said he would post pictures of HIS birds(the cage free and free range) and pictures of the old battery facilities(they actually have a battery house not in use for the bird's sake, this is probably accumulating losses in itself).
I too, think the thread may have run it's course. I think any further questions should purely unbiased and educational. We all know, CEF included, that battery farms are not the best. And the birds will never be fully fullfilled in battery facilities. CEF is not completley defending the battery style farming, I believe his purpose was to give a view differing from the animal right's groups websites, where alot of the information on the topic comes from.
I myself have learned a few new things from this thread. I appreciate you talking with us CEF. I hope you are able to act upon your future plans to change from battery farming once you own it.
Thanks again,
-Kim