Posted on 01/01/2015 10:28:11 AM PST by PROCON
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — The new year is expected to bring rising chicken egg prices across the U.S. as California starts requiring farmers to house hens in cages with enough space to move around and stretch their wings.
The new standard backed by animal rights advocates has drawn ire nationwide because farmers in Iowa, Ohio and other states who sell eggs in California have to abide by the same requirements.
To comply, farmers have to put fewer hens into each cage or invest in revamped henhouses, passing along the expense to consumers shopping at grocery stores. California is the nation's largest consumer of eggs and imports about one-third of its supply.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
It is not a “liberal” position to have basic laws against animal cruelty.
Me, too. I hate when Freepers object to the most basic of decency.
As someone who’s raised chickens and been a farmer, I can tell you you’re all wet on this one.
I agree with you.. Food produced from that unnatural environment is not good for you.
As for raising our own, we’ll have to live a long time to reach break even.
Just the coop cost as much as 100 dozen organic eggs.
Oops, I am slipping. I used the words chicken food, it should be feed. Been a long time since I took animal nutrition.
I've had parakeets and English Budgies (remember, I'm in NYC, I don't have extensive property for livestock). My little birds were kept in extremely spacious cages so that they would have room to fly around, play with their toys, etc. That was the whole joy of keeping them, to watch them having a good time. Yes, it meant I had less space in my home for myself, but I felt if I was going to own budgies, I had to give them the optimal living conditions. My cats and lizards also live "the good life".
I was flabbergasted to see, a few months ago, that a house about a mile or so away had chickens pecking away in the front yard! I called the appropriate city office and yes, hens (but not roosters) are permitted to be kept in the confines of NYC. No ducks, no turkeys, no geese--but hens are fine. Imagine that!
The Famous Pig
A salesman is lost in a rural area and stops at a farm to get directions. As he is talking to the farmer he notices a pig with a wooden leg. “How did the pig get a wooden leg?”, he asks the farmer.
“Well”, says the farmer, “that is a very special pig. One night not too long ago we had a fire start in the barn.
“Well, sir, that pig set up a great squealing that woke everyone, and by the time we got there he had herded all the other animals out of the barn and saved everyone of them.”
“And that was when he hurt his leg?” asked the salesman.
“Oh no” says the farmer. “He was fine after that. Though a while later I was in the woods out back and a bear attacked me. Well, sir, that pig was near by and he came running and set on that bear and chased him off. Saved me for sure.”
“So the bear injured his leg then,” says the salesman.
“Oh no. He came away without a scratch from that. Though a few days later my tractor turned over in a ditch and I was knocked unconscious. Well, that pig dove into the ditch and pulled me out before I drowned.”
“So he hurt his leg then?” asks the salesman.
“Oh no,” says the farmer.
“So how did he get the wooden leg?” the salesman asks.
“Well”, the farmer tells him, “When you have a pig like that, you don’t want to eat him all at once.”
I totally agree.
I’ve spent years in chicken houses, hatcheries, gathered eggs by hand. Hot, nasty work several times a day! This is after all Tyson, Simmons, George’s, Peterson Industries country. Peterson is now sold to Simmons.
I’ve debeaked chickens, had rotten eggs blow up in my face and hands just like small grenades and counted millions of chicks.
Thankfully I didn’t live all my life doing that.
Again, those who don’t raise chickens tell those that do how to raise them. Same for hogs and cattle.
I was flabbergasted to see, a few months ago, that a house about a mile or so away had chickens pecking away in the front yard! I called the appropriate city office and yes, hens (but not roosters) are permitted to be kept in the confines of NYC. No ducks, no turkeys, no geese—but hens are fine. Imagine that!
Unfortunately, large production farmers have co-opted the terms free range and cage free, so unless you’re buying from a small farm, it’s unlikely that the chickens are happier and healthier than those that are caged.
As I understand it, cage free is thousands of chickens with little room loose in a warehouse and free range is the same but with a small outdoor enclosure that can accomodate a handful if the birds are lucky enough to find the exit.
I wish I could let my small flock run free again. In 2013 I lost my entire flock to predators. This year I have to keep my new flock in a pen with electric wire around the top as I have already lost four to bobcats and foxes.
Some farmers are responsible and kind, but some are not. Those who fail to meet minimal standards of care are responsible for society having to step in and establish standards. It is unfortunate, but where we are.
Oh, and the same goes for landlords and housing rentals—because some landlords don’t meet minimal standards, society has to set and enforce such.
Oh, but yes, PETA and the like are totally juvenile and irresponsible with their sometimes outrageous demands.
***but some are not.**
A stressed chicken will not lay. A stressed cow will not give down milk. Same for other animals, if stressed they will not gain weight.
Torture more chickens!
Agreed on reasonably healthy conditions for animals being the right way to go. Many of the smaller, more rural commercial poultry operations in the Midwest continue to afford more humane, healthy conditions for chickens—each long building with roomy enough pens on each side of a walkway down the middle (roomy enough for plenty of walking around and squawking).
From such operations, small cages are only used for transporting the chickens on trucks to slaughter plants when necessary (see old hens to chicken soup), because it’s also inhumane to allow domestic animals to die from old age or predatory animal attacks.
bkmk
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