Free Range Eggs??????????

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3489317/And-call-free-range-s-disturbing-images-16-000-free-range-hens-crammed-shed-fact-conditions-approved-RSPCA.html

I have always said we are being conned on this egg fiasco with the RSPCA doing bugga all to protect chix.

Stormee wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3489317/And-call-free-range-s-disturbing-images-16-000-free-range-hens-crammed-shed-fact-conditions-approved-RSPCA.html

I have always said we are being conned on this egg fiasco with the RSPCA doing bugga all to protect chix.

I get my eggs from someone who has allotments and keeps rescue battery hens.  The eggs are delicious.   It just takes a bit of effort to search around.   No more expensive and  totally cruelty free and free range.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Stormee wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3489317/And-call-free-range-s-disturbing-images-16-000-free-range-hens-crammed-shed-fact-conditions-approved-RSPCA.html

I have always said we are being conned on this egg fiasco with the RSPCA doing bugga all to protect chix.

I get my eggs from someone who has allotments and keeps rescue battery hens.  The eggs are delicious.   It just takes a bit of effort to search around.   No more expensive and  totally cruelty free and free range.

Yep, mine come from a farm up the road, you can watch the hens running around.

sassy wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

I get my eggs from someone who has allotments and keeps rescue battery hens.  The eggs are delicious.   It just takes a bit of effort to search around.   No more expensive and  totally cruelty free and free range.

Yep, mine come from a farm up the road, you can watch the hens running around.

Every morning I have chickinz fly over the Channel from France and lay their fresh eggz in especially designed boxez of straw I get from Emmerdale Farm.

I looked this story up on another sight;
a.) Photos were indeed taken at night wile the FLOCK is quiet and housed for they're protection
b.) Why weren't there any additional photos of the outside ???
c.) Chickens  go through a annual process of 'MOLTING' --- when they will shed they're feathers --- some breeds will do this once a year and some breeds will shed they're feathers twice a year (spring & fall) and they're egg production will drop off
d.) Yes' a mite infestation can cause this to happen but it will usually be a mass area of no plumage and reddened areas from birds pecking at the mites on each other
We raised 150 - 200 hens in some thing very similar but they had rails to roost on at night and a gravel base that we had to rake daily---shed was 24' x 12'...gathered eggs 3 times a day and looking out in the pasture was always an adventure.  But right before milking time we'd be calling the hens to 'come home' right before 6pm.  
I doubt the facts for this story!

Stormee wrote:

sassy wrote:

Yep, mine come from a farm up the road, you can watch the hens running around.

Every morning I have chickinz fly over the Channel from France and lay their fresh eggz in especially designed boxez of straw I get from Emmerdale Farm.

You really need to get the men in white coats on your ward to adjust your medication if you are having hallucinations.

aspca4ever wrote:I looked this story up on another sight;
a.) Photos were indeed taken at night wile the FLOCK is quiet and housed for they're protection
b.) Why weren't there any additional photos of the outside ???
c.) Chickens  go through a annual process of 'MOLTING' --- when they will shed they're feathers --- some breeds will do this once a year and some breeds will shed they're feathers twice a year (spring & fall) and they're egg production will drop off
d.) Yes' a mite infestation can cause this to happen but it will usually be a mass area of no plumage and reddened areas from birds pecking at the mites on each other
We raised 150 - 200 hens in some thing very similar but they had rails to roost on at night and a gravel base that we had to rake daily---shed was 24' x 12'...gathered eggs 3 times a day and looking out in the pasture was always an adventure.  But right before milking time we'd be calling the hens to 'come home' right before 6pm.  
I doubt the facts for this story!

It's the Daily Mail, most people doubt most things in the Daily Mail lol

sassy wrote:

Stormee wrote:

Every morning I have chickinz fly over the Channel from France and lay their fresh eggz in especially designed boxez of straw I get from Emmerdale Farm.

You really need to get the men in white coats on your ward to adjust your medication if you are having hallucinations.

would you have black coats

well I bought Blue eggs from the crazy Chicken Lady at the showgrounds this weekend. (it was the Annual Fair for the country town i bought the farmhouse in)
 
no joke, she breeds special hens to get funny coloured eggs.

veya_victaous wrote:well I bought Blue eggs from the crazy Chicken Lady at the showgrounds this weekend. (it was the Annual Fair for the country town i bought the farmhouse in)
 
no joke, she breeds special hens to get funny coloured eggs.

They are duck eggs

Legbar hens by any chance....

there are a number that lay blue eggs....

or AMERAUCANA ?

veya_victaous wrote:well I bought Blue eggs from the crazy Chicken Lady at the showgrounds this weekend. (it was the Annual Fair for the country town i bought the farmhouse in)
 
no joke, she breeds special hens to get funny coloured eggs.

These are the breeds that they can ship to us that are of the 'Easter Egg' layer varieties >>>
Ameraucanas also lay the blue/green eggs. Marans, Barnvelders, and Welsummers lay rich, dark 'chocolate' colored eggs. Aseel (or also spelled Asil) and Catalana breeds lay a lightly tinted egg. Cochin lay a lightly tinted or even yellowy brown egg. Cornish or Indian Game lay a very light brown egg. Egyptian Fayoumi lay an off-white egg. Naked Necks, and Turkens lay a creamy light brown or even yellowish egg. Some Plymouth Rocks will lay a pinkish tinted egg. And believe it or not, there is supposedly a very rare chicken that reportedly lays a nearly PURPLE egg! I am not sure of the breed though.

 

And there is a registered breed of 'white hens' that will lay a light colored brown egg as well.

Here you go Veya:



http://www.chickenhill.co.uk/Cream-Crested-Legbar-chicken-hatching-eggs-p/cream_crested_legbar_eggs.htm

aspca4ever wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:well I bought Blue eggs from the crazy Chicken Lady at the showgrounds this weekend. (it was the Annual Fair for the country town i bought the farmhouse in)
 
no joke, she breeds special hens to get funny coloured eggs.

These are the breeds that they can ship to us that are of the 'Easter Egg' layer varieties >>>
Ameraucanas also lay the blue/green eggs. Marans, Barnvelders, and Welsummers lay rich, dark 'chocolate' colored eggs. Aseel (or also spelled Asil) and Catalana breeds lay a lightly tinted egg. Cochin lay a lightly tinted or even yellowy brown egg. Cornish or Indian Game lay a very light brown egg. Egyptian Fayoumi lay an off-white egg. Naked Necks, and Turkens lay a creamy light brown or even yellowish egg. Some Plymouth Rocks will lay a pinkish tinted egg. And believe it or not, there is supposedly a very rare chicken that reportedly lays a nearly PURPLE egg! I am not sure of the breed though.

 

And there is a registered breed of 'white hens' that will lay a light colored brown egg as well.

Wow, you could match your breakfast egg in your eggcup to your outfit lol

The best eggs I have tasted are from guinea fowl.

I was in Vegas for 8 weeks and only found white shell eggs in supermarkets.

we got some legbars

the grand kids reckon those eggs taste better than the brown ones laid by our hybrid "warren" hens....

Stormee wrote:The best eggs I have tasted are from guinea fowl.

I was in Vegas for 8 weeks and only found white shell eggs in supermarkets.

mmm...will have to get round to trying them...

I like duck, especially for cakes....

she has duck, guinea fowl and quail eggs as well.
she had more than just Blue too...
and she explained the cross breeding actually gave the names of the hens that laid set of eggs.
(they are like the ones ASPCA showed)
 
P.S the region is one of the world leaders in Agricultural sciences, Several CSIRO laboratory farms in the region. so the town of 300 people have about 40 PhD’s in biology/chemistry and is fairly 'eccentric' mixed with 'hard country' farmers and miners. Meeting people that came in from the surrounding properties was interesting when you ask where they are from, they just point and go "about (insert number between 5 and 20)km as the crow flies that way"

Lord Foul wrote:

Stormee wrote:The best eggs I have tasted are from guinea fowl.

I was in Vegas for 8 weeks and only found white shell eggs in supermarkets.

mmm...will have to get round to trying them...

I like duck, especially for cakes....

Fantastic for cakes, because the yolk is so rich and the albumen is stronger than hen's eggs, you can make the richest, lightest sponge with them.

veya_victaous wrote:she has duck, guinea fowl and quail eggs as well.
she had more than just Blue too...
and she explained the cross breeding actually gave the names of the hens that laid set of eggs.
(they are like the ones ASPCA showed)
 
P.S the region is one of the world leaders in Agricultural sciences, Several CSIRO laboratory farms in the region. so the town of 300 people have about 40 PhD’s in biology/chemistry and is fairly 'eccentric' mixed with 'hard country' farmers and miners. Meeting people that came in from the surrounding properties was interesting when you ask where they are from, they just point and go "about (insert number between 5 and 20)km as the crow flies that way"

When mother and I first started our poultry shed --- I ordered 24 Barred Rock {checker board colored hens} chicks and 6 guinea fowl...those guinea fowl make the best watch 'DOGS' and will protect the entire flock from dogs/cats and will eat ticks/slugs and nasty other things and they don't scratch up a garden plot like my hens do!  But sadly they preferred to roost in the hackberry trees/catalpa/elm trees and the owls picked them off one by one!