Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

We have products like this in Australia too. I tried them a long time ago. I'll try a few again. They're probably tasty by now.

A few years ago the meat-alternatives where more expensive than real meat. But nowadays the prices of substitutes vary from € 1,50 (for 2) to € 3,50 (for 2) depending on the brand, ingredients and taste. I think the price of meat like saucages and hamburgers is about the same nowadays.
Btw: i used to eat quite a lot of these veggie alternatives. But don’t anymore because of health issues and they often contain much salt and conservatives. Canned beans , eggs and cheese are probably a healthier alternative for me.

 

[GregnLety]

I agree

Yes. To me, it is more PROCESSED foods VS WHOLE foods. Whatever it is, I prefer food in its original form, however nature intends it to be. I do not trust humans and we are just creating more problems by "solving them".

I love veggies and tofu. I don't eat much meat. I sense a Monsanto in lab-created meat. I am never going to try lab-created meat (maybe if they give me thousands of dollars to have a try ... )

 

[ManueB]

I think this will go on the list of explosive discussion subjects for Christmas. I can just see myself throwing the subject about with my in-laws , my partner's father the conspirationist hunter, and my partner's mother's husband, who worked most his life in the local slaughterhouse then as a butcher when it closed.

I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not sure if I find it wonderful news or terrible. Depending on the cost, the carbon impact and the energy and water needed, it could be one way to sustain the growing number of humans. Or it could turn into a Soylent green dystopia.

I wouldn't try it myself as I dont really like meat and only have it when it's given to me, or at other people's places. In fact I don't think actual vegetarians or vegans will be the market target. Now if they did that with cheese...

 

[micstrachan]

@Shadrach, here are pictures of that chick’s beak I was talking about.

Yikes. Poor thing. Are you considering trying to file it down a little?

 

[micstrachan]

Chilly but dry. I'm going to thankfull of the new kit I bought to deal with the Brisish weather.
I found this when I was cleaning the coop. Not sure which hen it came from. All the others poops were okay.
View attachment 3326769

The grey hen is the sick Legbar. Two more crop massages this afternoon. After each one she drinks a lot.
View attachment 3326768
View attachment 3326774View attachment 3326773View attachment 3326772View attachment 3326771View attachment 3326768View attachment 3326770

Look at all that forage! They must be thrilled.

 

[micstrachan]

I would try it as well. In fact I would replace the majority of the meat I eat with it.

So would my daughter and I.

 

[Perris]

i used to eat quite a lot of these veggie alternatives. But don’t anymore because of health issues and they often contain much salt and conservatives.

we have a phrase 'the best thing since sliced bread', as a tag for some new technology that's really wonderful and revolutionary. It is based on the 1961 invention of the Chorleywood process for making (and slicing) bread. (https://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/Chorleywood_bread_process for the very interested)

The sad thing is, many people of that first generation who so embraced it as the wonder product that it seemed to be, suffered from diverticulitis in the later years, because eating it they didn't get enough fibre.
(https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diverticular-disease-and-diverticulitis/ for the very interested)

Needless to say, the issue was addressed in due course (they say), but it points up the unknown risks for early adopters of any new technology, and manufactured meat is a new technology.

From birth, what we eat provides the only building blocks we have for the growth and maintenance of our bodies. Just like our chickens. Commercial ones don't live long because their feed is formulated to maximize egg production and minimize maintenance. (https://doi.org/10.17226/2114 for the very interested)

What is manufactured meat formulated to do? I don't know. But I do know that 'at least cost' will be part of the equation, and the long term outcomes won't be of interest: the timeframe will be set by whatever the regulatory bodies choose as their test period for new foods, and they will be under pressure to shorten it to a couple of years tops. Again like chickens' lifespan of interest to researchers - up to 2 years. Caveat emptor.

 

[Perris]

I exposed a compost heap this morning and the flock wasted no time getting stuck in

 

[BDutch]

we have a phrase 'the best thing since sliced bread', as a tag for some new technology that's really wonderful and revolutionary. It is based on the 1961 invention of the Chorleywood process for making (and slicing) bread. (https://en.wikipedia.org//wiki/Chorleywood_bread_process for the very interested)

The sad thing is, many people of that first generation who so embraced it as the wonder product that it seemed to be, suffered from diverticulitis in the later years, because eating it they didn't get enough fibre.
(https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diverticular-disease-and-diverticulitis/ for the very interested)

Needless to say, the issue was addressed in due course (they say), but it points up the unknown risks for early adopters of any new technology, and manufactured meat is a new technology.

From birth, what we eat provides the only building blocks we have for the growth and maintenance of our bodies. Just like our chickens. Commercial ones don't live long because their feed is formulated to maximize egg production and minimize maintenance. (https://doi.org/10.17226/2114 for the very interested)

What is manufactured meat formulated to do? I don't know. But I do know that 'at least cost' will be part of the equation, and the long term outcomes won't be of interest: the timeframe will be set by whatever the regulatory bodies choose as their test period for new foods, and they will be under pressure to shorten it to a couple of years tops. Again like chickens' lifespan of interest to researchers - up to 2 years. Caveat emptor.

I agree in most of the things you say. But there are a few things to comment.

1
I didn’t discuss manufactered meat but alternatives for meat. The look-a-like hamburgers, sausages, bacon and minced meat. Made with all kind of beens, seeds, grains and sometimes with diary products too for vegetarians.

If you make such products yourself with pure ingredients there is a lot of work involved. Which is not convenient in a household with 2 working parents.
The supermarket delivers wat is convenient. The health part is not okay in many ready made products mainly because of the added salt and sugar.

But still: these vegan/vegetarian alternatives are more healthy to eat than processed meat product or lots of meat ( > 80 grams) every day. And meat costs a lot for the environment where I live.

Meat in factory farming is not sustainable at all. It’s polluting our and Brazillian soil, the air, is cutting down the rainforest, is even polluting the forests and natural parks in large parts of Europe. And of course it takes too much land, growing feed for animals with a poor life, instead of growing feed for humans, wild animals and humane kept animals.

2
Commercial chickens ones don't live long not only because their feed is formulated to maximize egg production and minimize maintenance. But also because the breeding programs in the 20th century (and continuing) made chicken-monsters that lay 10 times as much eggs as the original chicken did. Same kind a things happened with pigs and cows. And probably they did/do this with goats, sheep, ducks and geese (liver) too. Pigs for fast growing and giving birth to more and breeding pigs with more nipples.
Cows in the NL for more milk of course. Side effect is huge utters that can even handicap a cow.

Example:
Did you know there are many large duck farms in the Netherlands solemnly for export. In general Dutch don’t eat duck until they go on a vacation to countries where they find Magret de canard on the menu of the restaurant.

 

[ManueB]

In general Dutch don’t eat duck until they go on a vacation to countries where they find Magret de canard on the menu of the restaurant.

Now I wonder in what kind of country they would find such a thing