View Full Version : Hen house in Clyth.
porshiepoo
26-Dec-06, 20:43
Has anyone seen the soon to be 'hen house' in Clyth???
Most people seem to be excited at the prospect of 'free range eggs' however it has to be said that I once looked at a property near one of these places and the smell.............well it was rancid!
Wonder how many people downwind of it have actually thought about that part of it. :lol:
Besides, I always imagined 'free range' to be out in the open with free range of the land not something like 15 squished into a square metre (you'll have to excuse my facts on that bit as it's all I can find out on the net - please correct me if I'm wrong).
I don't think it will effect us too much - unless the winds a strong one coming from that way - but what's everyone wlse think of it? Especially those nearby? Bothered or not??
I hope the venture takes of for the person concerned and good luck to em, lets just hope the stench ain't too much to bear.
Has anyone seen the soon to be 'hen house' in Clyth???
Most people seem to be excited at the prospect of 'free range eggs' however it has to be said that I once looked at a property near one of these places and the smell.............well it was rancid!
Wonder how many people downwind of it have actually thought about that part of it. :lol:
Besides, I always imagined 'free range' to be out in the open with free range of the land not something like 15 squished into a square metre (you'll have to excuse my facts on that bit as it's all I can find out on the net - please correct me if I'm wrong).
I don't think it will effect us too much - unless the winds a strong one coming from that way - but what's everyone wlse think of it? Especially those nearby? Bothered or not??
I hope the venture takes of for the person concerned and good luck to em, lets just hope the stench ain't too much to bear.
Porshiepoo, you are quite right ,free range eggs are laid by hens that are free range, i/e out in the open and not caged up, nor are they force fed intensive layers feed and spend all their useful lives cooped up in a box that they can hardly turn around in. I used to deliver feed to the one at upper Milton and i always felt sorry for the poor birds, what a sorry life they must have had.
No doubt,another from the south looking for the "good life"
donnalee1994
26-Dec-06, 23:17
Wrong there its a scots man
Free range is defined as hens being free to roam and housed in sheds or barns only at night or adverse weather conditions. They can root and will hide eggs, are subject to the natural light and because they have space, do not need to be debeaked.
Industrial farming for eggs envolve battery cages piled one ontop of another, with each hen having less "personal" space in each battery cage than a piece of A4 size paper. The hens are force fed by manipulating lighting levels. The hens are often forced to moult, after which egg production usually goes up. The are often de-beaked (I'll leave that to the imagination). Hens are considered spent at 1 year of age when egg production starts to decline, and they are sent, for the most part, to slaughter for animal food. Personally I find intensive farming much more ofensive in olfactory terms: there are huge numbers of animals kept in a very small space.
There are some very good free range eggs produced locally at the "market" (I find it hard to call three stalls a market.... ) in Wick every saturday afternoon. Do an experimant: buy industrial eggs and these free range ones. Prepare them you favorite way (scrambled for me) and compare. The difference is huge.
I think I may well often be downwind of it............but I'll wait for the smell before coming to conclusions.
Aren't free-range hens more limited at the moment with the prospect of bird-flu necessitating they be kept mostly under cover?
Given the size of the building, and the number of hens I've heard will be kept, shouldn't be too squished....and not battery or caged.
porshiepoo
27-Dec-06, 00:56
No doubt,another from the south looking for the "good life"
Nah, we can't be blamed for this one I'm afraid. It's a local man - born and bred.
I can only assume that a possible decline in crofting profits is forcing the crofters to look into other avenues of earning a buck.
For me, the idea of keeping any animal in conditions like these chicken farms, is unimaginable. Yet again we see the suffering of innocent animals for the greed of man, it's barbaric.
I completely understand the rearing of animals for a food source but only when kept in suitable conditions and to me 15 hens to a square metre is not 'suitable' or adequate.
I really don't think that locals may fully understand what the smell will be like once this venture takes off. I can honestly say there is no smell worse than chicken poop - and I've dealt with pretty much all poop from cows, horses, dogs to babies. Chicken poop sets like blinkin cement and is the most foul stench I know.
Of course that doesn't even take into account the likely attraction to vermin. Yuk!
porshiepoo
27-Dec-06, 01:07
I think I may well often be downwind of it............but I'll wait for the smell before coming to conclusions.
Aren't free-range hens more limited at the moment with the prospect of bird-flu necessitating they be kept mostly under cover?
Given the size of the building, and the number of hens I've heard will be kept, shouldn't be too squished....and not battery or caged.
Hmmmmmm. Not caged no but picture 15 hens per square metre - thats 3.2 feet. I think most people will agree that that has to be pretty cramped.
I'm not against them being kept undercover if it's the safest thing for all involved, my query is whether this can then be called 'free range'. If it can then my illusion of the eggs I go out my way to buy has been severley shattered.
What are the disease implications for hens kept in these conditions anyway?
I've just found this little snippet on the web. My lord, is this really acceptable conditions? It would seem our new local hen house will be more along the lines of a hotel compared to the over crowding allowed.
EC regulations means hens can be stocked at 25 hens per square metre floor space with 15 cm perching space/bird. This can create stress from overcrowding leading to aggressive behaviour, feather-pecking and cannibalism. Debeaking is common in perchery systems. Another problem of overcrowding is birds crashing into one another whilst attempted to land on perches. 25% of perchery hens may have broken bones before transport to slaughter due to flight and landing accidents. This is a much higher level than either battery or free-range hens.Incidentally, the de-beaking involves cutting off approx one third of the beak.... with no anaesthetic. Hope our manny's not gonna do that :(
I've also noticed that to be called 'free range' then the hens must have access to outside runs at all times.
Hmmmmmm. Not caged no but picture 15 hens per square metre - thats 3.2 feet. I think most people will agree that that has to be pretty cramped.
I'm not against them being kept undercover if it's the safest thing for all involved, my query is whether this can then be called 'free range'. If it can then my illusion of the eggs I go out my way to buy has been severley shattered.
What are the disease implications for hens kept in these conditions anyway?
I've just found this little snippet on the web. My lord, is this really acceptable conditions? It would seem our new local hen house will be more along the lines of a hotel compared to the over crowding allowed.
Incidentally, the de-beaking involves cutting off approx one third of the beak.... with no anaesthetic. Hope our manny's not gonna do that :(
I've also noticed that to be called 'free range' then the hens must have access to outside runs at all times.
Have to say I've no idea of the area of the barn.........but it looks big.
Maybe not free range then but "Barn" eggs.........are produced from hens kept in loose flocks confined within a shed. Birds in this system are not caged and can roam throughout their house but are not let outside. They are provided with perches, platforms, and nestboxes and litter areas. Some barn units keep their hens in large flock sizes of up to 16,000 birds in conditions that can resemble a crowded football terrace.
Don't think, from what I've heard that the hens are going to be nearly that crowded.
j4bberw0ck
27-Dec-06, 02:45
I really don't think that locals may fully understand what the smell will be like once this venture takes off. I can honestly say there is no smell worse than chicken poop
Look on the bright side; it could be a pig farm. Now they smell...........
Spot on, j4bberw0ck, nothing smells worse than a pig farm. In a former life, I rode my bicycle from London to Harwich, which must be pork country. What I would have given for windows that rolled up LOL
Vermin are attracted to just about anything that will feed or shelter them, including our own houses. Nothing special about hens that will bring the mice.
I wish every success to the hen house. Takes courage to start a new business.
There are some very good free range eggs produced locally at the "market" (I find it hard to call three stalls a market.... ) in Wick every saturday afternoon. Do an experimant: buy industrial eggs and these free range ones. Prepare them you favorite way (scrambled for me) and compare. The difference is huge.
You are right Ju the local eggs are very good. Even if you compare them to free range eggs from the supermarkets the local eggs are much better.
The Halkirk farm does free range eggs on the Thurso side which are sold in a few shops including McKay's. Fantastic eggs.
No doubt,another from the south looking for the "good life"
Why would that matter?
j4bberw0ck
27-Dec-06, 10:19
Maybe he just resents - in principle - people bringing their money into the area and investing it in business, helping the local economy and doing a little bit to try to ensure remote areas stay viable as places to live.
Maybe Stroma would be a suitable refuge for him, and place to live? :lol:
Hi Folks
Re free range chicken regulations see: http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Poultry/Free_Range_Poultry/Free_Range_Flock_Regulations.php (http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Poultry/Free_Range_Poultry/Free_Range_Flock_Regulations.php)
Incidentally it's no more than a thousand chickens to a hectare (1,000 chickens to 10, 000 square metres)
oi.. we grew up with chickens and roosters.. *laughs* i have many a fond memories.. of playing with them.
they had a hen house but dont think they ever used it.. we (brothers and i) use to distract the mother hen.. catch the chicks and hold and cuddle them.. then run like the dickens when mama hen figured out we had one of her babies!
we had an old rooster that would set on the well house and wait for us to go by and jump down on our heads!
the dogs were afraid of the roosters! and this were st benards and alsations!
that rooster was evil i say .. pure evil!
anyway.. our chicken usualy roosted in the trees.. i hardly ever saw them in the hen house.. they lay their eggs in there but that was just about it!
funny thing is i never really remember seeing much poo except around the hen house.. and that was cleaned out every week.. so dont really know.. and i was just a kid at the time.
all we had to do was feed them and collect eggs. now that was fun.. trying to get an egg when a hen was sitting!
No doubt,another from the south looking for the "good life"
Yes, those s from Sutherland get everywhere!!
From what I've heard the eggs are going to be organic free range. The hens will be able to go outside into the field next to the shed as they please. Think the rules and regs also state that organic free range have more space per hen in the shed than free range.
Sorry to disappoint Ju but the free range eggs that are on sale at the market in wick to my knowledge come from a very similar set up.....large shed with access to outside!
porshiepoo
27-Dec-06, 14:14
Well, I hope the venture takes off, as long as the chicken are treated humanely and the smell don't waft it's way down here too regular :lol:
Just have to say I disagree re the smell though. I too have worked with pigs and I can honestly say that for me, chicken smell beats em hands down. :lol:
I have awful memories of chicken, lol, in fact hubby wanted some at one point and I point blank refuse. They are foul! Pardon the pun. lol.
They roost as high as possible just sop they can aim that projectile cement based liquid at you, and once it's set theres just no getting it off. Awful stuff!
I do find some of the feathery ones quite pretty but thats about as far as it goes and of course I don't mind any variety on the dinner table but when alls said and done I wouldn't want any cruelty to be done to any.
So, hopefully this particular farmer will let them live a life of luxury before they're all caught, boxed up and killed. Eek!
There is an organic farm and shop/restaurant just down the road from us and there are free range hens there. There does not seem to be any smell and they sure look like happy hens when viewed from the restaurant. The eggs are fantastic much better than anything you get in the supermarket. The thing is you gets what you pays for and as long as people want cheap there will be intensive/battery type farming and if you feel that strongly don't buy the stuff and maybe it will go away. Most alien stuff added to food is for cheapness - read before you buy.
I have heard that the whole building can get moved about to any place/field. Its on wheels basically...
Might be wrong so correct me if so..
porshiepoo
27-Dec-06, 16:41
I'd heard the same.
Don't know if that makes it better or worse though. Better for the hens I suppose as they'll at least get fresh areas regularly but what happens to the stuff left behind?
As long as densities are not too high, the fields the hens are in will be able to deal with the refuse produced. Hasn't anyone noticed how fields with a few cows smell just fine, where as paddocks with alot of animals smell terrible?
Wifie, you hit the nail on the head: in food you get what you pay for. I would say more: the more that is added to food the cheaper it becomes..... no sugar addade, no salt added, no chemical added are all invariably more expensive than there "added equals".
I'd heard the same.
Don't know if that makes it better or worse though. Better for the hens I suppose as they'll at least get fresh areas regularly but what happens to the stuff left behind?
I'd guess that the farmer whose house it is pretty close beside will ensure that the droppings get cleaned up pdq! :D
Hi Folks
Re free range chicken regulations see: http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Poultry/Free_Range_Poultry/Free_Range_Flock_Regulations.php (http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Poultry/Free_Range_Poultry/Free_Range_Flock_Regulations.php)
Incidentally it's no more than a thousand chickens to a hectare (1,000 chickens to 10, 000 square metres)
According to the DRFRA website the maximum stocking density is 2,500 birds per hectare.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/poultry/faq/marketing.htm
There are some very good free range eggs produced locally at the "market" (I find it hard to call three stalls a market.... ) in Wick every saturday afternoon.
I found their prices very high. What are they currently charging for a dozen eggs?
Hi Folks
Got a choice? As we're always toadying up to the EU, wonder which regulation below will take precedence?:
(1) The European union free-range regulations: "The stocking rate must not exceed 1,000 birds per hectare"..
(2) Defra: "with a maximum stocking density of 2,500 birds per hectare"
I went to my nieces house yesterday and on the way we passed a chicken farm.The smell really is sickening,like stink bombs,it's the sulphur that does it.
I found their prices very high. What are they currently charging for a dozen eggs?
Free range eggs are more expensive to produce. It's impossible to produce free range at the same price as industrial. They are very good eggs and I happily pay more for them.
I wasn't expecting them to cost the same as mass produced eggs, however compared to other free range eggs produced around the UK (based on reading small holding forums etc) they seemed very pricey.
rockchick
28-Dec-06, 07:28
I found their prices very high. What are they currently charging for a dozen eggs?
You can get them for £1.60 a dozen - and worth every penny!
porshiepoo
28-Dec-06, 10:18
I went to my nieces house yesterday and on the way we passed a chicken farm.The smell really is sickening,like stink bombs,it's the sulphur that does it.
Yep, it really is rank - as we'll all find out soon enough no doubt!
Hibeechick
28-Dec-06, 10:20
I don't think these eggs are being sold locally anyway... and I was also told that the chickens are going to be outside?
You can get them for £1.60 a dozen - and worth every penny!
Is that from the Wick "market?" That's spot on looking at other region's pricing. I'd certainly buy them at that price. I thought when I looked last time (quite some time ago) they were quite a bit more than that.
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Come on then Poo pm me with the details! Who is it ? jan x
rockchick
28-Dec-06, 16:16
Is that from the Wick "market?" That's spot on looking at other region's pricing. I'd certainly buy them at that price. I thought when I looked last time (quite some time ago) they were quite a bit more than that.
I haven't been to the Wick market for a donkey's age; I get them from one of the little shops in Thurso.
I think the ones from the castletown side, Armitage is the name o the kiddies, are spot on. think you can only get em from the shop in hi ormlie now though, but i gladly trek up there for them, as they are far better than those from the supermarkets, and gladly pay a bit extra for them too as they are quality.
Naefearjustbeer
28-Dec-06, 19:48
I think the ones from the castletown side, Armitage is the name o the kiddies, are spot on. think you can only get em from the shop in hi ormlie now though, but i gladly trek up there for them, as they are far better than those from the supermarkets, and gladly pay a bit extra for them too as they are quality.
I think the fish shop in the precinct sell them.
yeh, they used to but they don't now....
Mackays in Thurso sells the Halkirk eggs....very tasty
goldenguernsey
28-Dec-06, 23:55
I'm sorry but I think you've missed the "free range" part of this. If these hens are free range then the smell everyone keeps going on about just isn't going to happen.
The aweful stench that we all recognise as hen poo is, I'm sure, from battery birds, free range means they have a large area to roam about on and do their poos here there and where-ever they are, unlike a battery set up with conveyor belts churning out the waste on a concentrated daily basis.
Surely these birds must be far happier living like hens are supposed to live than their battery/factory intensive counterparts?
Well Im sure the hens will be happy for the year they are alive and then they are gassed and buried on the land where they live, so that 3000 hens killed every year and buried on the land.... all to produce eggs...( this is a fact ) me I prefer my hens that scaff about and give the best eggs that I know and then they pop their clog around 6-7 years old...
Moving hens around your croft is really good husbandry particularly if you feed them outside. They graze, scratch, and add valuable nitrogen to grassland and generally do the place good. The best way to demoss your lawn is with some free range hens. Don't waste money on expensive devices to get rid of moss, do it the organic way and have the satisfaction of eating your own eggs into the bargain.
At one time everyone in Caithness had a few free range hens. Is the county self sufficient in eggs and poultry or is it dependent on the big supermarkets trucking them over the Ord? Go to work and start your day with a Caithness egg. Heavens, I feel another poem coming on! Time to take a pre Hogmany dram and a lie down.
Is the county self sufficient in eggs and poultry or is it dependent on the big supermarkets trucking them over the Ord?
I think that everyone is dependent on food being "the cheaper, the better". Industrial eggs will always have a home in many hearts, if only for their price, as many other foods.
I personally cant wait for the eggs the place is all high tech & chicken friendly I only buy free range eggs so im all for the locals giving it a go. wishing them all the best in the new venture:D
porshiepoo
29-Dec-06, 20:13
Moving hens around your croft is really good husbandry particularly if you feed them outside. They graze, scratch, and add valuable nitrogen to grassland and generally do the place good. The best way to demoss your lawn is with some free range hens. Don't waste money on expensive devices to get rid of moss, do it the organic way and have the satisfaction of eating your own eggs into the bargain.
At one time everyone in Caithness had a few free range hens. Is the county self sufficient in eggs and poultry or is it dependent on the big supermarkets trucking them over the Ord? Go to work and start your day with a Caithness egg. Heavens, I feel another poem coming on! Time to take a pre Hogmany dram and a lie down.
A 'few' free range hens is slightly dofferent to the thousands that are gonna be in that oversized coop.
I can quite go along with the moving a 'few' hens around your croft theory but this thing will hold thousands.
As Abalone pointed out, that amount of hens produces quite a lot of sulphur (that rotten egg smell from stink bombs) and unfortunately I don't think moving them around is going to help matters that much. In fact I'd hate to be in the vicinity the first couple of days after it's moved, especially if it's a hot day. :eek:
I suppose somebody has to have it in their backyard..........one of the penalties of country living and a farmers' need to make profits.
just to put thinks clearer the chickens arent caged or kept in the shed full time they are free to roam the park & just go into the shed to lay.They will also be kept in the shed at night, they are not force fed & are free to eat when they please.the neighbours dont have a problem with the new venture either.you should be breathing fresh air to porshiepoo:D
porshiepoo
30-Dec-06, 13:12
just to put thinks clearer the chickens arent caged or kept in the shed full time they are free to roam the park & just go into the shed to lay.They will also be kept in the shed at night, they are not force fed & are free to eat when they please.the neighbours dont have a problem with the new venture either.you should be breathing fresh air to porshiepoo:D
If thats all true then good luck to the guy concerned! :)
Why would that matter?
Got to agree with you on that, what doe,s it matter if he is from the South or the North. Dont agree with the way animals are treated ,but i guess it,s just a sad way of life
[disgust]
Well Im sure the hens will be happy for the year they are alive and then they are gassed and buried on the land where they live, so that 3000 hens killed every year and buried on the land.... all to produce eggs...( this is a fact ) me I prefer my hens that scaff about and give the best eggs that I know and then they pop their clog around 6-7 years old...
think you have the wrong facts as these chickens wont be being gassed & buried on the land.
Good luck to the hen keepers, hope my grannie was wrong when she said that she had never seen a hen that had paid its own way.
The hen house looks good and is a massive improvement on most of the "temporary" acomodation littered about the Lybster area!!! [lol]
think you have the wrong facts as these chickens wont be being gassed & buried on the land.
err would you care to enlighten me then, as they will be being killed and buried on the land every year, I doubt they will be shot...
err would you care to enlighten me then, as they will be being killed and buried on the land every year, I doubt they will be shot...
Surely year old hens will be sent to market as food,what a waste otherwise.
They cant be consumed, so they are killed after a year and buried on site, health a safety I assume but they will probably only consistantly produce eggs in the first year....
I thought chickens can consistently produce eggs for 2-3 years.
err would you care to enlighten me then, as they will be being killed and buried on the land every year, I doubt they will be shot...
yes i will enlighten you the chickens are killed every year but NOT gassed or buried on the land they are transported away killed humanely & can be used for food produce.this is a TRUE fact for this venture.
Perhaps the nubile young hens will come after all and set the local poultry a flutter....
There once was a lonely cockrel in Clyth
Who lived on his own with no wife
And oh he yearned for a date
and thought he'd left it too late
But now he's having the time of his life.
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