Humane eggs

grosser

Hey folks,

Does anyone know if there are any farm/ egg suppliers in Galway, who practise humane farming with regards to eggs. As in they dont kill the males from the offset? I mainly eat free range meat sourced from the markets, but am unable to find out anything regarding eggs to this point.Any help or directions much appreciated.

ScumLord

grosser wrote: »

Hey folks,

Does anyone know if there are any farm/ egg suppliers in Galway, who practise humane farming with regards to eggs. As in they dont kill the males from the offset? I mainly eat free range meat sourced from the markets, but am unable to find out anything regarding eggs to this point.Any help or directions much appreciated.

Seems sort of unlikely that they wouldn't kill the males. If it's anyways close to a 50/50 split male/female then there just wouldn't be any place for the males, no farmer could support a shed of unproductive males on top of his shed of hens laying.

biko

Did you already chat to the farmers selling eggs at the Galway and Moycullen markets?
As said, it's unlikely you'll find a farmer that doesn't kill the males but perhaps there's some small time farmer that you can find.

Shakti

Consider keeping some chickens yourself perhaps

Mrs OBumble

At what point in their life-cycle is it considered OK to kill the males?

Serious question: how does killing them at the same time as the females make it more humane than killing them initially?

kodute

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Serious question: how does killing them at the same time as the females make it more humane than killing them initially?

It doesn't. This is a dangerous line of thinking that leads impressionable people to become fruitarians...


OP: Buy Galway Free Range eggs, they taste great and that is a sure sign of a healthy chicken.

biko

Aye, Galway free range is probably your best bet, besides the markets. At least they're local.

Found some corny adverts on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml06NAH9JoI

grosser

Shakti wrote: »

Consider keeping some chickens yourself perhaps

I thought that was a free range Robin Williams alright.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

At what point in their life-cycle is it considered OK to kill the males?



Serious question: how does killing them at the same time as the females make it more humane than killing them initially?

My apologies, i realize I should have specified not killing the male at all. Letting them live out a natural life etc
Are laying hens killed once they cant lay more eggs? This is very new to me and I am exploring whats out there. I don't think its humane at all to kill off the males just because they don't serve a purpose in that industry.Any information is much appreciated.

irisheddie85

grosser wrote: »

I thought that was a free range Robin Williams alright.


My apologies, i realize I should have specified not killing the male at all. Letting them live out a natural life etc
Are laying hens killed once they cant lay more eggs? This is very new to me and I am exploring whats out there. I don't think its humane at all to kill off the males just because they don't serve a purpose in that industry.Any information is much appreciated.

Laying hens are killed when they reach an age where they are likely to have a reduction in their ability to lay an egg every day. Can't remember the age off hand.
If you go to a local egg farmer and ask for an old hen he may just give you one and it will more than likely provide you with eggs for a good while. You may only get an egg every second day but they are usually still quite productive.
This happens regardless if they are battery or free range eggs.
The old hens usually go into animal feed. There isn't a retirement home for them.

biko

There is a smallholding/farmers forum under Soc you could check out about hens and eggs and stuff, from the farmer point of view.

cbd18

We buy the Galway Free Range eggs and I think they are the best option in the super markets.

I know in the states there's a new trend of urban farming - I have a few friends who have done this. If they have a decent sized garden they get a chicken house and raise a couple chickens and use the eggs their chickens lay.

ScumLord

grosser wrote: »

My apologies, i realize I should have specified not killing the male at all. Letting them live out a natural life etc

It's not going to happen. It would essentially double the cost of the eggs as you'd have to house twice as many animals while still getting the same amount of eggs, probably even a reduction in eggs.

Males aren't necessarily going to survive to live long and healthy lives just because you let them live either. Males are going to be fighting each other and there's no way you could keep more than one or two in any kind of confinement without them tearing each other to bits. If they're in with the hens then they'll fight even harder and probably kill or injure the hens too.

Males are just destined for a nasty end whether by our hands or by letting them live out their natural urges. All they want to do is ride a female and if they die in the process they're not going to be at all bothered. Think of the natural group these kind of animal live in, one male is the sperm donor for a group of females, that male has killed all the others to be in that position.

So the most humane thing to do is to kill them at birth.

Are laying hens killed once they cant lay more eggs?

Of course they are and it's the same with any production animal, their for profit and the minute they start costing money they have to go or the business fails. Which ultimately means all the animals die.

It's not even just a problem created by humanity, we're creating surplus animals that can't survive without us, we have to invest our resources into those animals but we do that because they pay off is greater than the cost. That's just how nature works, without us the animals wouldn't exist and without us the animals can't survive.

You can see that as cruel but nature is ultimately crueler than us and in the long run domesticated animals are actually in a good position purely from a spread of genetic material perspective. If you're to believe "the selfish gene" nature is simply using human needs to spread genes throughout the planet. If humans ever did disappear all our domesticated animals that we've spread to every continent on the planet will more than likely thrive by virtue of their numbers.

biko

cbd18 wrote: »

I know in the states there's a new trend of urban farming - I have a few friends who have done this.

I watched vids about this years ago, sounds like a great idea if you have the facilities for it.

deisemum

cbd18 wrote: »

We buy the Galway Free Range eggs and I think they are the best option in the super markets.

I know in the states there's a new trend of urban farming - I have a few friends who have done this. If they have a decent sized garden they get a chicken house and raise a couple chickens and use the eggs their chickens lay.

OP sorry I cannot help you on where to source free range eggs locally but if you have a garden they're extremely easy to keep and rear yourself and much easier to keep than a dog.

One of the fastest growing hobbies in Ireland in recent years is the number of people keeping a few hens to have their own fresh eggs and know they are free from antibiotics and food dye to give yolks colour and not left in housing with the lights on 24/7 to force them to lay twice a day and then killed off after 1 year when production starts to drop. GIY Ireland started in Waterford City about 5 years ago and there are loads of local groups around the country and some in the UK, US and Australia.

I'm from Galway but live in Waterford City and got 4 hens a while back and when I was down to 1 hen I got 3 more then a short while later was asked if I could take some rescued hens that came from a commercial egg producer. I took 3 but they were in some state, they were practically oven ready they were that bald, were very nervous and afraid of grass until they got used to it but with good feed, fresh air and care their feathers came back and they're enjoying life. 1 did die after a few months but at least it had enjoyed a few months of life.

If you wanted to get rescued hens and spare them a short cruel life I know there is a place that people get rescued hens somewhere in Galway as I've read about it