At the risk of appearing chicken-obsessed, I had to blog about this. When I first got my chickens (August 2007) Esther suggested I look for ex-battery chickens to rescue. However it was easier to order the chickens along with the chicken eglu so I didn't. However since Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fernley-Whittingsall (not sure of spelling) both presented TV programmes all about battery farming and how dreadful it is - and it really is dreadful - I began to think about increasing my flock with some ex-battery hens. Apparently not only do they get kept in tiny little cages, they are also slaughtered at a year old when their egg production starts to tail off. I've not bought anything other than organic or free-range produce for some time now, but these programmes reinforced my determination never to support this awful industry and I make sure I don't ever eat chicken or egg out unless the restaurant labels it as free range.
So, I emailed the local contact for obtaining ex-batts and got this amusing response:
The rescues – four weekends in a row – only dented the waiting list as, thanks to the bouncy Mr Oliver , demand is far outstripping supply.
It's really impressive that the TV shows have had that level of influence. I had noticed that it was getting more difficult to purchase organic and free range chicken in the supermarket. The shelves are emptying and the stores are having to import their birds from abroad. Hopefully the local producers will be able to increase production to meet demand, and hopefully demand will be sustained. Also, I hope this trend to grow your own food and keep chickens for eggs wil continue:
"A chicken is for life not just for post-Jamie-Oliver euphoria"
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