'Hugh's Chicken Run' A Moral Dilemna for DFWs?

Burlesque_Babe

There has been a whole heap of these programmes this week - Hugh and his chickens, Kill it, Cook it, Eat it and there was also another one on Monday.

I was given the HFW Meat book for Christmas and he dedicates a large section at the front about rearing conditions for all the different meat and poultry and also the meaning behind the stickers (RSPCA and Red Tractor - turns out they mean very little).

I won't bore you with everything, but if you get the chance, read some it....the conditions are terrible and, as an example, the factory bred chickens have chemicals in their food to make them grow quicker which they then eat which we then in turn eat. Ever seen the browny type marks on the 'knees' of cheap frozen or fresh chickens ?? Apparently they spend the last couple of weeks on their knees as there isn't enough space and they are kneeling in their own urine. The ammonia in it burns the skin of their knees.......

That said, I currently have Smartprice eggs and chicken in the fridge and freezer, as well as Value Cheddar so it's a complete hypocrisy as I now think, christ, I don't want any more of that. I can't (and won't) throw away the food as I can't afford to.

I've decided to use that up and try to jiggle my budget to buy meat which is better raised as much as I can, I'll probably have to buy a bit less but so be it. I have a farm shop which has its own pigs and they will deliver to me for £1 - less than the cost of the petrol to drive there. They often have offers on such as 25% off the free range chickens or packs of sausages so I think I'm going to try to use them as much as I can.

I love cooking and know what to do with tougher, cheaper cuts of meat so I've no excuse really.

churchrat

morning all
I live in wonderful suburbia and keep "garden chickens" that I got from a battery rescue organisation in Kent. These were caged birds that were kept for eggs. They could barely walk, couldn't perch and had never seen sunlight. The first time it rained when they were outside they didn't know what to do and got soaked before they shuffled into their ark. I had 6, 2 died in the fisrt week because of the condition they arrived in. the others are doing fine, have feathers now and all the "normal" behaviour that a chicken should have can be seen in them, although it took some weeks to develop. I work and have 3 kids, (but not little ones) and a big BIG pile of debt. I'm a long hauler, been doing this about 6 years and another 3ish to go. I also said that I will buy free range when I can afford it until it occured to me that this was my life that I am living now and couldn't put everything on hold until the debt had gone, and so now I keep chickens for eggs and don't buy red meat at all, and only free range chicken, but its a treat. We do eat a lot of eggs tho:rolleyes: ! We don't have a big garden, but the chickens don't seem to mind. In the summer we do a bit of a veggie patch (mainly cougettes and toms last year-- the only things I seem to be able to grow!) and they have the run of that in the winter and are kept in a run in the summer. I would say don't feel guilty about the food choices you make, but don't pretend that there are no other ways for you to make a difference to another creatures life and suffering, because there are.

moanymoany

It isn't rocket science - good meat expensive - bad meat cheap. The choices are simple, eat cheap meat, or eat a mix of only a bit of expensive, good meat and vegetarian meals.

If you google 'vegetarian recipes' many thousand will come up.

sallyx

I have to say no matter how tight my budget I would never buy cheap chicken. I go to a little farm shop that rears its own chickens and I can get a large free range one for about £4 so I think a) its cheaper than tesco and not lining tescos fat greedy pockets and b) The chicken we are eating has had a good life

One thing that really got on my goat was when they were interviewing the locals and they were saying oh we are such a poor community, we don't have spare money, we can't afford FR chicken...but yet there they were sat in the pub spending god knows what on beer.

redsquirrel80

ZTD wrote: »

One of the points that many people miss is that food is different from every other product. Unlike a pair of trainers, food will actually *become* us and the people we feed it to.

That puts a different slant on the quality aspect. A better life means a better chicken which means a better us.

That's a very good point Z and one that I think the campaigners for free range should make more of if they want to 'convert' more people.

I will admit to having bought cheap meat in the past but nowadays on my tight budget I don't eat a lot of meat, and when I do I buy organic free range (for both personal moral and health reasons), either as a treat or pick it up when it's reduced. It does bother me that I'm not entirely sure what standards the various labellings require, and I am going to have a look at all that, and at where I can get locally produced meat. I think a lot of people think they're 'missing out' if they don't eat meat everyday, hence the feeling that they 'have' to buy the cheap stuff?

immoral_angeluk

sallyx wrote: »

I have to say no matter how tight my budget I would never buy cheap chicken. I go to a little farm shop that rears its own chickens and I can get a large free range one for about £4 so I think a) its cheaper than tesco and not lining tescos fat greedy pockets and b) The chicken we are eating has had a good life

One thing that really got on my goat was when they were interviewing the locals and they were saying oh we are such a poor community, we don't have spare money, we can't afford FR chicken...but yet there they were sat in the pub spending god knows what on beer.

True.. but that may be their only form of social life or entertainment.... so yes, they could give up the beer and buy free range.. but they would end up eating well with a clear concience.. but being miserable because they're one joy in life has given sacrificed for the sake of some poultry...

Cazzdevil

sallyx wrote: »

One thing that really got on my goat was when they were interviewing the locals and they were saying oh we are such a poor community, we don't have spare money, we can't afford FR chicken...but yet there they were sat in the pub spending god knows what on beer.

A very valid point which just goes to show that it's got nothing to do with them not being able to afford it, it's just that they don't give two hoots.

All they'd need to do would be have one less pint a week to be able to afford a free range chicken, I'm sure that would be no massive blow to their social life.

woohoo_postingid

The bit that really made me chuckle was the woman (Hayley?, Heather?) who said she couldn't afford to buy these things - maybe if she cut down on her pies, she would have been able to!!

She hardly looked as though she was struggling to feed herself did she?

Lucy1982_2

We don't buy FR chicken, but we don't by value either (we eat so little it sit's in the freeze for ages anyway!) We buy barn eggs not Battery or FR.

I think that the only way they are going to change this is to bring the prices down. I saw a news report that said 60% of the UK buy Battery chicken products whereas only a small number (32%) buy FR chicken. Since when has 32% of the Uk population been small!! Surely this is telling the supermarkets something.

My OH will buy his meat from farm shops where possible, but with the cost of everything else going up something have to give and if it's a choice of expensive chicken or your monthly fuel bill which are you going to chose to spend your money on?

It's such a shame things have got to this stage, hopefully the banning of battery farming will help. A good reason to go veggie I feel.

MiniLaura

Read this with interest.

I'm a vegetarian and have been since I was 8. THe choice was mine, as I dont like eating meat, the taste or smell of it especially when cooking.

I also do object to the way that intensively farmed animals are raised and im glad that my own lifestyle choices arent contributing to it, to others, its up to them if they can live with contributing to it.

Some good news is that battery egg farming is to be outlawed by 2012, having had free range chickens at home for egg production - I think this is great news. But only as long as free range chickens are continued to be given freedom. My chickens all were allowed to die naturally (or in some cases were attacked by predators) and this felt right.

I do buy eggs and cheese and dairy but try to ensure eggs are at teh very least free range, not sure about barn eggs tho.