meatbirds

Rearing your own birds for the table is really easy and more and more people are returning to doing this themselves, thanks to a greater understanding of how factory-farmed chickens are reared. You also know exactly what your bird has been fed and you know that it has been raised in good conditions with access to the outside, titbits and care. We have young meat birds (chickens) available, we also have small meat bird rearing units that you can set up in your garden. We can even help with the despatching and preparation if you need some support or guidance... The natural way for a chicken to live is outdoors — with grass under its feet, and the sun on its back.
Outdoor access is fundamental to the free range system of poultry production.
More than 850 million chickens are slaughtered every year in the UK. Of these, hundreds of millions of chickens (more than 95%) are reared in industrial conditions in vast, enclosed sheds.
An average building holds 40,000 birds. They never set foot outside or see natural light and they feed around the clock - with as little as one hour of darkness for every 24 hour period.
Such cramped conditions cause severe welfare problems. Chronic lameness is common — one third of chickens have difficulty walking without pain. The stress on their hearts and lungs can cause heart failure, They suffer urine burns on their legs. About 5% die or have to be culled prematurely.
It’s not nice — but its certainly cheap. And THAT is how supermarkets can afford to offer you two whole birds for a fiver. So the next time you do buy a chicken, think about how it has been reared, then think how much better you could rear it yourself !