Tuesday 1 July 2008

Save the chickens!

Today we were told by our site manager at our new place, that there are 13,500 freerange chickens going to be slaughtered unless people go and help to rehouse them.

I just couldn't believe this, but it gets better....

...the chickens are being slaughtered, not because they are sick, not because they are old, but because the shells on the eggs they lay are TOO THIN FOR THE SHELVES!

Yes - you read right - our favourite supermarket Tesco has stopped getting these chickens eggs, because the shells are too thin to be packaged and put on the shelves!!!

You can see our local animal welfare group here - http://brightonanimalaction.org

Unfortunately I haven't got round to renovating our vintage coop - I'm going to have to work on our existing shed/coop to fit them in - but I'll be blowed if I'm not going to do anything at all!

Here's the local paper quote;



Lay-off for hens
By Simon Barrett

A charity is trying to find homes for 13,500 free range chickens which are being given away because their eggs' shells are too thin for supermarket shelves.

Animal lovers have a month to claim them before they are sent to slaughter for dog food.

The 18-month-old birds from a farm in Brighton are now too old to eat, but could lay eggs for another six years. Tara Maher from Brighton Animal Rescue said: "Supermarkets don't want eggs from older chickens because their shells break more easily during packing


It's strange how peoples values change - before I had kids I wouldn't have even bothered to read the article - let alone care enough about it to do anything to help!

Just makes me glad to me me NOW!

:D

7 comments:

Don said...

13,500! You're gonna need a bigger coop!

I commend you for trying to do something about that. I wonder what breed they are? Whatever they are, I find it interesting that there was an article in one of your papers about this. THis probably happens every day here, but we don't hear about it.

How many are you saving?

Stiggy said...

We're only able to help 5 Don, I wish I could do more - if the other coop had been renovated I probably could.

The problem is, that we don't eat all the eggs now - and unless we go into eggs with a view to selling them as a cottage industry, there isn't much point in having loads of chickens.

flossie said...

Glad to have my bedtime story back lol.........

Save them all stiggy Jo will look after them lol ...


Hows the building work going ?

Little Veg Patch said...

Arrghh makes me so mad that chickens get such a rough deal. Well done for taking some on, I would if I could but we are pushing it with the 6 ex batts that we have now. I hope to get more rescued ladies once we finally get sold and moved on. Good luck with your new ladies.

Greta said...

Stiggy, well done on highlighting the plight of these little ladies. Great to know that you are saving some. One thing is for sure, they are very, very lucky girls!

Stiggy said...

Awww thanks LVP and greta, these particular chickens have been lucky, as they have lives free range, but for many it's a horrible life stuck in a cage or barn with little exercise and rubbish food.

I wish I could save them all.

Stiggy said...

Sorry Flossie - didn't see you there - the building work is really moving now - the structure is all finished, and now they are doing the plastering - well the plasterboard, plumbing and electrics.