HENS IN BAD CONDITIONS!!!!
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baymule
Sustainability Master
Aldi's sells eggs for 25 cents a dozen. We sell ours for $4 a dozen. Obviously we are not selling "bargain price" eggs. What we are selling is quality, fresh, non GMO eggs that have real flavor. People know that our chickens free range and are well treated.
Most people are going to buy the 25 cent carton of eggs. I can't really blame them. The cost of food keeps going up but paychecks stay the same. At the same time, a lot of people have useless, pretty yards that could be used to plant at least a small garden, or keep a few hens, or both. But people would rather pay high prices and complain.
Industrial food is mass produced for the masses. I don't see it changing any time soon. Male chicks that will consume a lot of feed for a scrawny carcass are not economically feasible. You can dither about over the fate of said chicks, but the production of food is a business and if any of us were in that same business, we would treat our hens better, but you can bet we wouldn't be pouring feed down the crop of a chick that will grow up to be worth less then the feed he ate.
And that is why we are not in the business of industrial eggs. We keep our little flocks, some of us sell extra eggs to appreciative customers or we share with friends and family.
Most people are going to buy the 25 cent carton of eggs. I can't really blame them. The cost of food keeps going up but paychecks stay the same. At the same time, a lot of people have useless, pretty yards that could be used to plant at least a small garden, or keep a few hens, or both. But people would rather pay high prices and complain.
Industrial food is mass produced for the masses. I don't see it changing any time soon. Male chicks that will consume a lot of feed for a scrawny carcass are not economically feasible. You can dither about over the fate of said chicks, but the production of food is a business and if any of us were in that same business, we would treat our hens better, but you can bet we wouldn't be pouring feed down the crop of a chick that will grow up to be worth less then the feed he ate.
And that is why we are not in the business of industrial eggs. We keep our little flocks, some of us sell extra eggs to appreciative customers or we share with friends and family.
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Swede
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Yep -- the entire system is a disaster. BUT these chickens are hatched and most often there is no way to disperse the male chicks. That's what I'm saying -- to be fair to the chicks, cruel as it is or may sound, fast gassing is more humane than many other ways.
The care, feed, space needed to raise them is just not going to be given. It is also not feasible that they could even give them all away fast enough. Maybe ship thousands to TSC to give away!
The layers? Well, I would love to put the people who are designing and maintaining (??or not??) them and the system, to be put into the system themselves for a few weeks with comparable space, feed, water & care !!!!
More inspections & penalties for failures is needed.
We will not be able to train the numbers of the consumers in time to make a difference. BUT women did campaign to stop the conditions of the horse urine collections, for the most part. It took a long, long time. And synthetic hormone production.
It's better than culling, but worse than not killing them.
I'm very angry at the first link
Mini Horses
Sustainability Master
3X Baymule !! Right on point.
It's just business facts. I am happy for ANY improvement.
I work doing food sampling demos and have seen more of the moves toward providing options of gluten free, non-GMO, etc. in some of the offerings. There is some trend toward considering the effects of chemicals (organics), free-range, no additives but, it is NOT going to be an effort that goes beyond "sales". Consumers who want this change are having some effects -- NOT as many as those who often must consider no more than $$. I understand. I don't have to agree. As Bay says, some people could do more with their own yards -- some don't even care. Such is life. Mine is good.
It's just business facts. I am happy for ANY improvement.
I work doing food sampling demos and have seen more of the moves toward providing options of gluten free, non-GMO, etc. in some of the offerings. There is some trend toward considering the effects of chemicals (organics), free-range, no additives but, it is NOT going to be an effort that goes beyond "sales". Consumers who want this change are having some effects -- NOT as many as those who often must consider no more than $$. I understand. I don't have to agree. As Bay says, some people could do more with their own yards -- some don't even care. Such is life. Mine is good.
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
In the meantime, I'd suggest do your little bit to help bring about change and encourage people to keep their own chickens and sell surplus eggs, where they can. I've talked a few people into starting their own little egg businesses. They have been successful
The problem I see most with those who sell their eggs is that they want to gouge the customer, claiming it costs that much for them to raise them humanely and so the customer should pick up the costs.
I see big problems with that...one, you'd be raising them anyway and the costs of raising them humanely shouldn't have to be defrayed by the customer.
I've raised my own chickens for 40 yrs now and have often sold the eggs, but never charged more than $2 a doz. Yeah, you can demand more in other areas, but should you? Cost me as much to raise a chicken as it does everyone else, so why the price discrepancy? Because they can and they want everyone to know that a superior product should command a bigger price...but what is that teaching the public? That they can't afford to pay that for food just because you treat your chickens better. That's why the general public will never get on the bandwagon for sustainable food markets because the people marketing them is gouging wherever and whenever they can to prove the point that their product is better.
I've read that they grind them up and add them back to their chicken's feed.
Easy....there are many, many hungry people in this world and that is food being wasted. No matter the cost of raising these male birds, they could be utilized in charitable ways to feed the hungry if people would get involved more in feeding humans than they do in utilizing all their efforts and resources to the problem of an overly increased pet population. LOTS of money being donated towards housing and feeding, vetting and advertising unwanted dogs and cats in this country and that money could be better utilized in food production for the hungry in this world in housing and feeding all those male birds.
Can't eat those pets~though some countries would love to have that food source and that's a topic for another day~but folks can sure eat chicken.
NH Homesteader
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We charged $2/dozen up until feed costs went up, then we charged $3. We could charge $4 but we don't. We try to offset the cost of feed as much as possible, because otherwise we simply would have fewer chickens and spend less on feed.
Part of the problem is that no one (well not many) would donate to raise chickens for slaughter.
Part of the problem is that no one (well not many) would donate to raise chickens for slaughter.
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
I bet they would if they thought that food was going towards rescue animals, though, wouldn't they? Think of the potential, though....rescued male birds being raised for the hungry and homeless in this country. Good done in two ways, just needs a voice and a campaign strategy, but it's hard to get people on board for feeding the hungry humans and much, much easier to get them to respond to ads of puppies on big chains in a dirty back yard.
That's just the way of the world now days and it's sad, but I don't see a change coming any time too soon. I'm thinking if they were grinding up puppies and kittens and feeding them back to the adult rescued animals in the shelters there would be a greater response to the issue.
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I am sure that is accurate.
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
It's not about price gouging for me. I charge $3.00 a dozen. Why? Because I have customers who want eggs. I don't need to keep that many hens for myself and would never be able to use all the eggs. So, does the cost get passed to the customer - yep! Because they want fresh eggs from humanely raised chickens - I feed more chickens. I'm providing a product and a service. May sound harsh - but if they want cheaper eggs than that they are totally free to buy from Aldi's. Could they do this for themselves? In some cases yes - in a lot of cases no.
My customers are appreciative of my TIME and EFFORT that goes into THEIR eggs. I'm the one hauling the feed in 100+ degree weather or through the mud, or in the midst of winter. I'm the one cleaning nest boxes, dusting hens, cleaning and packing the eggs. I'm paying for the electricity that goes to the barn and powers the water well. I also provide the cartons that I buy 100 at a time when they customer doesn't remember to save them. Come to think of it - $4 a dozen doesn't sound that bad, lol!
Also, there are folks who want "organic" eggs. Around here organic feed easily costs almost/at least twice as much a 'regular' feed. I don't buy it, but lots do. But, if that's what the consumer demands - there is always someone who is happy to meet that demand.
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
If that were the case then the commercial batteries would be out of business, though, wouldn't they? If there were that many consumers who wanted to pay that much for a dozen eggs?
I've seen a doz. poopy eggs being offered at a farmer's market for $6 a doz. Anyone willing to pay that price for that kind of quality of eggs is just a minimal market of underinformed consumers.
Like the people buying Joel Salatin's "pasture raised eggs" when half his flock are overstocked in his Racken houses, bare backed and butted in April when there are no roosters in the house, laying eggs all over the overly poopy bedding, looking pale and sickly, with waterers coated with algae. No separation there in his farm store of eggs laid in the confined places vs. those gathered from the equally featherless flocks out on pasture....just pasture raised eggs at overly inflated prices.
People want to be fooled into thinking a bigger price means better eggs but it's not always the case and all the work done to produce one's own eggs is being done anyway, whether the excess eggs are sold to customers or not, so why are we~as backyard growers~feeling like the customer should absorb the costs? When I was selling for $2 a doz. I was more than clearing a profit on feed and the labor was going to happen anyway, so why charge other folks for it? Takes just as much time to feed 40 hens as it does 15.
If I were no longer able to keep chickens and have my own eggs, I'd slit my wrists before paying $4 a doz. for homegrown eggs. And that's coming from someone who KNOWS what goes into keeping chickens, so if the general public, who doesn't know, is offered that price, why in the world would they pay it?
First, I have no way of knowing what those people are feeding or how they care for their chickens~giving meds and wormers ? Might as well buy commercially grown. Chickens confined to the same small patch soil all the time? Might as well buy commercial. Feeding commercially prepared feeds? Might as well buy commercial.
Not wanting to argue, just presenting reasons why the general public may not want to buy more humanely raised chicken by products.
I've seen a doz. poopy eggs being offered at a farmer's market for $6 a doz. Anyone willing to pay that price for that kind of quality of eggs is just a minimal market of underinformed consumers.
Like the people buying Joel Salatin's "pasture raised eggs" when half his flock are overstocked in his Racken houses, bare backed and butted in April when there are no roosters in the house, laying eggs all over the overly poopy bedding, looking pale and sickly, with waterers coated with algae. No separation there in his farm store of eggs laid in the confined places vs. those gathered from the equally featherless flocks out on pasture....just pasture raised eggs at overly inflated prices.
People want to be fooled into thinking a bigger price means better eggs but it's not always the case and all the work done to produce one's own eggs is being done anyway, whether the excess eggs are sold to customers or not, so why are we~as backyard growers~feeling like the customer should absorb the costs? When I was selling for $2 a doz. I was more than clearing a profit on feed and the labor was going to happen anyway, so why charge other folks for it? Takes just as much time to feed 40 hens as it does 15.
If I were no longer able to keep chickens and have my own eggs, I'd slit my wrists before paying $4 a doz. for homegrown eggs. And that's coming from someone who KNOWS what goes into keeping chickens, so if the general public, who doesn't know, is offered that price, why in the world would they pay it?
First, I have no way of knowing what those people are feeding or how they care for their chickens~giving meds and wormers ? Might as well buy commercially grown. Chickens confined to the same small patch soil all the time? Might as well buy commercial. Feeding commercially prepared feeds? Might as well buy commercial.
Not wanting to argue, just presenting reasons why the general public may not want to buy more humanely raised chicken by products.
