Is this true?

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Is this true?
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Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 15 12:22 pm Post subject: Is this true?

Quote:

Because of current government guidelines the birds, who currently live at Betty's Farm, in Willington, can only live until the end of August.

The farmï¿½s office manager, Becky Brooks, explained the situation to the Burton Mail:

"The DEFRA standards do not allow us to keep the birds past 72 weeks, so at that point we either sell them or they go off to chicken heaven and become part of the food cycle.

"As the bird gets older the quality diminishes so DEFRA tell us to do it early to ensure the quality of all the eggs remains the same.

https://quirker.co.uk/story/how-you-can-take-part-in-the-great-chicken-rescue

I've not heard of that rule before. It was my understanding that the birds were sold/slaughtered at that age because egg production started slowing down and wasn't economically viable.

If it is true, what does this mean to those who adopt these girls and sell their surplus eggs at the gate/to friends/family?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46239
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 15 12:46 pm Post subject:

id not heard of the defra standard but 72 weeks would be an old bird in a battery or barn egg unit.

chances are they dont look like the ones in the photo

ï¿½2 a bird is somewhat more than the prole and petfood trade would pay.at point of collection they are often free ,if they have had a bit of tlc for a few weeks a charge would be appropriate.

if you want say five getting ten is probably sensible ,there will be a few who dont thrive (or lay well but make soup)

with older birds a couple of eggs a week is probably a good average laying rate in summer ,less in winter,so work from that as to how many one requires.

replace some every year if you want a constant flock

the dirty four dozen were quite educational in such matters

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 15 1:08 pm Post subject:
It's got bugger all to do with DEFRA just the industry standard. They are 20 to 26 weeks before they start laying & they keep them for about 50 weeks. Egg quality does suffer after that but only shell, size & numbers. It's pure economics not government regulation & they are deflecting that by trying to blame a non existent regulation.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 15 1:27 pm Post subject:
Unlikely. There's no evidence to suggest there is a chicken heaven

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46239
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 15 3:42 pm Post subject:
there is ,it is called a chookmobile,however it is hell for the wildlife

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 15 5:51 pm Post subject:
Never known a chicken to come with a birth certificate or an ID card.

Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Jul 08, 15 7:34 pm Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

It's got bugger all to do with DEFRA just the industry standard.
They are 20 to 26 weeks before they start laying & they keep them for about 50 weeks.
Egg quality does suffer after that but only shell, size & numbers.
It's pure economics not government regulation & they are deflecting that by trying to blame a non existent regulation.

That's what I thought. Trying to make themselves sound good, I guess.

I'm not looking for more chickens myself, but it popped up in my Twitter feed and as I'd never heard of that Defra ruling, thought I'd ask here.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 15 12:08 am Post subject:
Having been interviewed by newspapers before and finding what I was quoted as saying and what I actually said to be two different things, I think it best if you contact them directly to confirm this information.

Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 15 12:44 pm Post subject:
It's now made the news on the Beeb. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-33457704

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 15 12:53 pm Post subject:

Jools wrote:

It's now made the news on the Beeb.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-33457704

no mention of Defra in the beeb article.

Jools

Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 1028
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 15 2:46 pm Post subject:
No, the Beeb article says that it's because of the packing plant.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 15 3:48 pm Post subject:
I do wonder how often 'regulations' are blamed for things that are a consumer issue.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 15 4:53 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

I do wonder how often 'regulations' are blamed for things that are a consumer issue.

The consumers buy what they are given. extra large misshaped eggs would sell like hot cakes if they where presented. But the supermarkets want a uniform product that stacks neatly on the shelf.
They are still blaming 'rules' but saying industry not DEFRA.
There is nothing stopping them keeping the birds till they drop dead from exhaustion AFAIA other than economics.
This is just a ploy to get sympathy in order to offload the birds & it seems to have worked.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 15 5:03 pm Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

Rob R wrote:

I do wonder how often 'regulations' are blamed for things that are a consumer issue.

What a load of absolute rubbish - I have been doing this job long enough to know that this scenario only exists on River Cottage. Supermarkets are the masters of providing people with what they want, when they want it, and that includes eggs that aren't broken when you get them home. If it was a simple as offering something and people would buy it then they wouldn't do it.

Tavascarow wrote:

This is just a ploy to get sympathy in order to offload the birds & it seems to have worked.

Yep.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Thu Jul 09, 15 6:02 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

Tavascarow wrote:

Rob R wrote:

I do wonder how often 'regulations' are blamed for things that are a consumer issue.

Tavascarow wrote:

This is just a ploy to get sympathy in order to offload the birds & it seems to have worked.

Yep.

Chicken & egg Rob. An egg farmer here in Cornwall can't sell his extra large eggs because they don't fit in the standard size egg boxes. He sells them by the tray to locals & they sell fast. It's the supermarkets that don't want them not the consumers.
If supermarkets sold the misshaped eggs as novelty they would sell at a premium.
The only ones they can't sell by law are the broken & soft shells which have always gone to the liquid egg market for processed foods.
& obviously as birds get older they lay more of those.

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