True free ranging

[CCUK]

Christmas has been and gone so we decided on a nice boxing day walk along a footpath I haven't been along in many, many years. The path goes around a commercial food produce company. Specifically eggs from this site. The last time I was here there was several large buildings housing battery hens. Well I didn't know how much it has changed down there, for the better. We walked along the footpath and the old barns that housed chickens were looking eerily derelict and there was no sign of the old batteries for the caged hens. Instead we were greeted by fields and fields of grass and open space. Each field was about ten acres with a barn in the middle. The barns were full of chickens! They could all come and go as they pleased and so much space and grass for them to enjoy. The weather wasn't great today so they didn't come to far out but the ones that did looked happy and healthy and as ever with ISA hens very inquisitive! Here's some pictures.

Factory farming gets alot of bad press and there are some dubious and less than truthful translations of the law. Free range doesn't always mean free range like this but seeing this makes me happy to know that there are companies that care about the conditions of there animals and in this case the chickens look so happy and healthy. I know they will still be replaced at about 18 months but these are living the high life!

 

[Shadrach]

They will I presume be classified as pasture raised. It's a great improvement. I notice in the first picture there is even a patch of shrub/bushes.

 

[CCUK]

They will I presume be classified as pasture raised. It's a great improvement. I notice in the first picture there is even a patch of shrub/bushes.

They are free range/organic hens. They can definitely be classified pasture raised! All the fields have some trees for cover or shade in the summer. The last couple of pictures are new buildings so it's still a bit muddy around the outside but the field there in goes well beyond the treeline at the bottom.

 

[igorsMistress]

That's pretty fantastic! It's nice to know some folks might actually care. Thank you much for sharing.

 

[N F C]

Nice pictures! Maybe some things are turning for the better.

Happy Boxing Day!

 

[drumstick diva]

So glad - if this is for real beyond the photos.

 

[CCUK]

So glad - if this is for real beyond the photos.

In the UK, there are about 25 million hens used for commercial laying. Sadly about 18 million are caged hens. So only about 7 million are kept truly free range or pasture raised. This number has increased over the past several years but there is a long way to go yet. There are a couple more farms like this in my area but there are also barn raised and caged hen colonies.

 

[IamRainey]

In North America, Canada is leading the demand for ethically raised poultry and livestock. The US has dozens of designations that attempt to make it sound like poultry are raised decently but slowly the pressure from exposure of their methods and more humanely raised flocks in Canada is creating the consumer market for ethically raised eggs even at higher prices.

Then there are those of us who take matters into our own hands!

 

[igorsMistress]

In North America, Canada is leading the demand for ethically raised poultry and livestock. The US has dozens of designations that attempt to make it sound like poultry are raised decently but slowly the pressure from exposure of their methods and more humanely raised flocks in Canada is creating the consumer market for ethically raised eggs even at higher prices.

Then there are those of us who take matters into our own hands!

It's crazy when you look at the egg cartons in the store isn't it? Store brand eggs here range from $1 to $2. Then there's the organic, free range eggs that are $5 a dozen, the rest range between that.

Sadly, my area is typically large families on a tight budget so the store eggs go quick and the expensive eggs just sit on the shelves. I've never seen them at the food bank so not sure where they end up.

 

[Shadrach]

I would be interested in talking to whoever set this free range scheme up.
They will I expect get hens that will lay away from the barns.
They must also have factored in predator losses.
I know of a couple of large free range egg and meat producers in Hertfordshire (UK) and they have decent perimeter fencing with an internal electric fence to keep foxes and dogs out. So the price of the extra security and extra man hours is reflected in the egg price.
Even so, given an average of 6 grams of protein per egg, a carton of six is comparable to ethically produced meat.
I think we are so accustomed to cheap eggs and meat that paying up to double the price for these products when imported non free range is stocked and sold cheaply at the supermarkets is a hard sell.
I don't suppose there is any chance of you getting a look inside one of the barns and taking a few pictures is there @CCUK?