Hughes chicken run

[debster]

I have to agree with Sean and Gunnerbee, i recently went to HFW shop in Axminster the prices were extortianate and most of it you could buy else where. my hubby and I are both fairly well paid but when we have ourselves and the 3 children for a meal there is no way we could afford organic or whatever chicken, the youngest 12 a boy eats an adult size portion and the daughter 15 eats more then me. whilst i totally agree with the principles some of us just cant afford to have those principles. As i said we earn quite well but by the time we pay maintenance to both childrens houses it doesnt leave us millions to live on, if they bring the prices down i will certainly change

[debster]

[gunnerbee]

i have a love/hate thing for whittingstall, all he is basically is a rich little snob that lived in the city and fancied a bit of the good life, we have a huge farm shop near us called daylesford organic, all the city weekenders go their and it is a complete and utter rip-off, when i go there its just to have a laugh!! at the stuff i can make for pence!!! i lettuce covered in dirt for £1.75!!! ouch lol.

[RW]

I dont understand why Sean & gunnerbee attack Hugh when the point of the program was about chicken animal cruelty. Most people could afford spending more on free range - they just won't and don't care about the suffering inflicted on animals.

[gunnerbee]

of course i care, but all im saying is that free range is too expensive, if i didnt care, the rescue hens in my garden would be minced up by now!!

[Paulines7]

I buy free range chickens from Tesco and they are about £6, about the same price as a piece of beef or pork.  I make it do for two meals though and there are three adults in our house.  Once we have taken the meat off for the roast, I stew the rest up and make a casserole. 

At no time did Hugh attempt to sell his own produce during the series.  The whole point was to enlighten the public as to the cruelty behind intensive chicken farms.  Personally I would rather be a vegetarian than to eat the meat from chickens that have lived in such cramped conditions, never seeing the light of day and having parts of their bodies burnt by the ammonia in the litter which is not changed during their short lives. 

[Simon05]

I watched all 3 programs, Hugh should have said how much he sold chickens for in his shop, most people on camera said between £18 and £22 for one, he said that they werent that much but didnt say what they were.

As for the well fare of the chickens yes its better to have free range, but as Hayley on the programme showed if you cant afford free range then you buy the 2 for 1.  I thought that the kebab shop hit it right on the button when he said why care about chickens when there are africans starving.

What gets up alot of peoples noses is that its always the millionaires showing us what we should and shouldnt do. If they were on low incomes then they wouldnt buy the dear meat.

[Carol]

I watched most of the programmes - I had to stop at a few points because I found it too upsetting.  I shall certainly make sure I buy free range chickens from now on.  I intend using our local butcher who always seem to have plump chicken breasts for sale.  Certainly makes you wonder what we are all eating nowadays.  No wonder you get men with boobs, its all the hormones that is pumped into meat.  Our Food industry is needing a right good shake up. 

:-X

[sean]

hi rw i have been watching hugh closely for the past couple of 3 years and the man is no more than a publisity seeker , as to him offering produce he went to his shop showed you round the shop what more does he have to do put the stuff in a basket for you , what was the point of going to his shop to show you the nice prodcue he sells come on people the guy ain't in it for the chickens at all look deeper if he was why not sell his free range cheaper hmmmmmm , tescos do it for £6 so why can't hugh oh yes bigger over heads i think not , i feel hugh is trying to side swipe everyone , i would love to buy free range i do buy free range eggs and i eat pork and chicken and fish but if my wife and i brought free range meat we would never eat , i am disabled on very very tight budget , i grow most of our vegs as i like to think i know where it came from , i want a bit of land to live on and have animals run free if i could , now to the point of hugh and me attacking him it is not an attack just the facts , do you think hugh is fair priced in his shop well maybe you need to check out the many pies hugh has a finger in , i just think he is pulling the wool over peoples eyes with the oh look how badly they are treated , i don't see him doing it for pigs or cows or horses going to the Continent for meat no it is chickens because they are cuteand fluffy and we all eat it , just take a deeper look at these so call carers i like him to but he is just doing what the rest do jumping on a band wagon if they are so bothered give me a few hundred thousand to start a free range farm for chickens and have lovely little chickens run free , let them put there money where there mouth is i am sure someone somewhere will tell them about this site , hugh or jamie take the challenge give me the funds to start a free range chicken farm and veg growing to and you get to keep the money made lol i bet i never hear from them lol.
well sorry to rant just something i feel these fools need to stop shouting about and do something

[gunnerbee]

Havnt seen any FREE courses at River Cottage HQ for people on low income thinking about allotment management or poultry rearing. Says it all really.

[keef]

Its fair enough all these comments about Hugh, Jamie etc... but are'nt you all missing the point - forget them and what there motives maybe, the fact is that chickens are treated badly.. you may think its all publicity for the celebs, it probably is, but surley everyone agrees that the way cheap chickens are produced is not acceptable...

[Baccy Man]

Freedom foods & free range chickens are often not that much better off than battery hens. The only way you can be sure of the conditions chickens are raised in is if you can see the farm or you rear them yourself.
I recently posted a bit about the conditions free range & freedom foods chickens are raised in in this thread.
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,36986.msg368441.html#msg368441

[Robert_Brenchley]

We had free range chickens when I was little, before batteries were invented. They probably had taste (I don't remember), and they doubtless had a better life. They were a Christmas treat.
What we need here is an acceptable compromise; one the one hand we've got foodies promoting something for people to whom the extra money doesn't matter. At the other end, we've got chickens raised in unacceptable conditions. Surely it's possible to give the birds better conditions while at the same time keeping prices at a level where chicken remains affordable.

[Simon05]

Its fair enough all these comments about Hugh, Jamie etc... but are'nt you all missing the point - forget them and what there motives maybe, the fact is that chickens are treated badly.. you may think its all publicity for the celebs, it probably is, but surley everyone agrees that the way cheap chickens are produced is not acceptable...

Yes I agree that cheap chickens are reared badly, but while most people want cheap food then thats how they will be reared.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Food is currently too cheap, I agree. But let's not go back to the days when people got rickets or TB because they couldn't afford a decent diet!

[Froglegs]

I watched all three programmes and thought it was well done. Asking the Hayleys of this world to buy free range on a low income is just not realistic at the moment.The theory is that the bigger the demand for free range, the more the price will come down, but it's going to take a while!

I don't think the price will come down,as the demand for free range go's up so will the price.And how long before corners are cut to produce more free range chicken,i mean as long as they can stroll round the exercise yard will it matter how many you put in the flock they will......well... just have to walk round  the same way.

[keef]

Its fair enough all these comments about Hugh, Jamie etc... but are'nt you all missing the point - forget them and what there motives maybe, the fact is that chickens are treated badly.. you may think its all publicity for the celebs, it probably is, but surley everyone agrees that the way cheap chickens are produced is not acceptable...

Yes I agree that cheap chickens are reared badly, but while most people want cheap food then thats how they will be reared.

The thing is that people want everything cheap nowadays - so we all have more money to spend on other things, holidays, games consoles, lcd tv's - Its a shame that we have to be cruel to living animals to help acheive this...nowadays i think we have really forgetten the value of things.

I wonder - If intensively farmed veal, horse along with Foie gras and Whale steaks were on 2 for one at tesco's - how many people whould cash in...

[Eristic]

How can anyone here stand up and say £6 for a chicken is expensive. Thats 2 pints of beer.

[Old bird]

Sean - surely we don't need to be cruel to animals that we are going to eat -whether we be rich or poor.  It makes not a jot of difference.

If you feed your family/friends on chicken breasts - yes obviously it will cost you loads of money - but there is an alternative - if you buy whole chickens you can feed as many people with a lot less chicken.  And you can have some left over to make soups and other delicacies. 

But I don't agree that "poor" people shouldn't care less about animal welfare rather than getting loads of cheap meat.  You presumably grow your own veggies - so become vegetarian if you can't afford meat!!

Old Bird

[Old bird]

I only have a small garden but am seriously thinking of the viability of keeping a couple of hens!

Louise

[/quote]

I have written to the Council today asking for permission for 10 chooks!!  Wish me luck!

I have got the space for them up the lottie - but the Council are annoyed with me for my polytunnel debacle so may not let me have them!

I used to keep them when I lived in Worthing - right in the Town too - but that wasn't an allotment.

Fingers and toes crossed!

Old Bird

[Froglegs]

How can anyone here stand up and say £6 for a chicken is expensive. That's 2 pints of beer.

Or the cost of nappies,so yes £6 is expensive.