Eggs

[chartpolski 24,796]

I usually have plenty of spare eggs, I give some to my neighbor, who happens to own a heating business and sees to any central heating problems I may have, F.O.C.

I give eggs to my brother, he gives me fish.

The cost of feeding my hens wasn't as much as buying eggs for myself.

The manure from the poultry is also great for the veg I grow.

So far, so good.

The cost of feed is going up, so I've had to shop around, but up to now, I'm still in front, money wise, basically getting my eggs for free.

I breed my own hens and ducks, so no capital outlay.

Also, it's a hobby, I walk to my Allotments twice a day, keeps me fit.

The grandson and great nephews love being at the Allotments and collecting the eggs and feeding the birds, maybe a good alternative to playing on their iPads ?

So, in conclusion, even if I was slightly out of pocket, I'd still keep poultry.

Cheers.

 

[jukel123 8,803]

Love my  banty hens with chicks in Spring. Ferocious little buggers.

They are a good example of: "its not the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog".

My dogs have learned to give a banty with  a clutch  of chicks 5 yards clearance.

[borderboy 80]

  On 28/04/2022 at 07:47, SheepChaser said:

This stuff always makes interesting reading . . . . . . 

Supermarkets are b*stards, and screw their producers badly at every chance.

Costs have gone up a lot, and that needs to be passed down the chain, not just stuck onto the producer.

With regard to eggs - the issue is that a lot of people dont know the cost / value because there are lots of folk who basically have a job, and pay to subsidise a hobby of keeping some chickens and producing eggs, with money from their other job. They then give these away or sell them for f**k all, they are losing money on every egg. . . . . and then can't understand why a large scale farmer can't match their cost.

You see it in every area of farming, it is bizarre and a pain in the arse!

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People don’t realise that in a lot of cases when they are buying food from the supermarkets they are paying for it twice. The shelf price and then tax thats allocated as subsidies to farmers. It allows the supermarkets to squeeze the farmers on price then the taxpayer picks up the slack.

currently the way we eat, buy and produce food is in a lot of cases a shambles. 

[poxon 5,772]

  On 27/04/2022 at 10:18, Lloyd90 said:

My mate did the Milk for Muller, prices of everything gone through the roof. 
 

Contract came to an end, they refused to pay anymore. 
 

He worked out he would make almost nothing on the milk, they still refused to pay anymore. 
 

He told them to find someone else to work for free and sold his entire herd. 
 

200+ Cows I think. 
 

 

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Bad doo ain’t it it’s almost as if it’s a part of a larger scale long term plan to rid the uk of farming an have it a country that buys in all its products so the land can be used for housing 

[BGD 6,436]

  On 28/04/2022 at 09:28, borderboy said:

People don’t realise that in a lot of cases when they are buying food from the supermarkets they are paying for it twice. The shelf price and then tax thats allocated as subsidies to farmers. It allows the supermarkets to squeeze the farmers on price then the taxpayer picks up the slack.

currently the way we eat, buy and produce food is in a lot of cases a shambles. 

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Yep and the supermarkets do exactly the same with their staff, pay them so little that the majority are claiming Universal Credit on top. The tax payers are literally subsidising their wage bill.

[forest of dean redneck 11,755]

  On 27/04/2022 at 23:04, Ken's Deputy said:

Quails eggs? Just been watching a woman keeps them. Anyone had their eggs? Just wondering what the fuss was about

 

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Quails eggs are nice I bought  one done  as a scotch egg at the weekend, would I keep some No! 
in theory they are not hard to keep but  they are sadistic little shits that attack each other snd can see a small gap and fly at breakneck speed gaining their freedom when you clean them out to much hassle in my opinion , I’d sooner keep seramas than quail .

Ive had few nice bantams over the years Japanese x Pekins , seramas , brahmas etc 

prefer the eggs as there’s less white

 

[poxon 5,772]

I’ve had my 3 layers  6nearly 7months I’ve used one bag of feed an just started another bag a week ago the feed I use is small holder free range it cost me £8 a bag from the local farm an general supplys I get 6 eggs average off each hen a week x 3 =18 eggs a week In 28weeks I’ve had 504 eggs from the 3 just by that bit of simple mathematics lol I can tell there worth the 1 bag of feed second bag I’m in to at the moment

I can’t work out why supermarkets won’t pay farmers who farm for eggs the correct money if there selling for the price supermarkets sell eggs for or increasing there selling prices…..it’s a proper shit show ain’t it 

[adamntitch 4]

  On 27/04/2022 at 08:31, kanny said:

I get gifted this amount of eggs every week from a friend,  chicken and duck , I pass a few on,  only so many eggs I can eat .

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should never wash eggs till your about to eat them other wise it lets bacteria in 

[DIDO.1 22,846]

  On 28/04/2022 at 11:08, W. Katchum said:

It not just farmers aswell, they can’t afford to put wages up so instead are employing cnuts that can’t even speak English, the English lads have all left or leaving cos the work load keeps getting bigger yet most odd wages don’t, the native lads who do still work on farms are all looking for a way out, sad bit is aswell as that most them enjoy the work that’s why they there, but once they find summat with better pay they will leave, watch an see them the farmers will really struggle, the poor fcukers are getting shafted from all directions 

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Farmers are also partly to blame for staffing difficulties. Farmers do in many cases live on another planet, if I'd of had decent bosses paying what I knew they could afford I'd probably still be milking cows, at least part time.....i know a lot of other lads who left the industry for the same reason. When you eat your dinner while driving a tractor or expected to interrupt your food 4 times to keep checking on a calving cow.....then see your wage has been docked an hours dinner break! 

I know lots of farmers, many good friends, but non understand managing people 

Edited April 28, 2022 by DIDO.1

[chartpolski 24,796]

  On 28/04/2022 at 14:37, adamntitch said:

should never wash eggs till your about to eat them other wise it lets bacteria in 

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I was allways told to wash them as soon as possible, because the shells are porous and the shit and dirt can be absorbed.

Also never keep them in a fridge for the same reason, the porous shell will absorb the smell of other food in the fridge.

And allways wash them in cold water unless you are just about to cook them, as washing in warm/hot water starts the cooking process.

Cheers.

[jukel123 8,803]

Lots of farmers round my way employ Polish, Lithuanians etc. They rent them static caravans which are sited on the farm. Probably pay them washers. Bad situation.

Edited April 28, 2022 by jukel123

[kanny 20,898]

  On 28/04/2022 at 14:37, adamntitch said:

should never wash eggs till your about to eat them other wise it lets bacteria in 

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I never knew that ...im the Same as chartpolski,  always cleaned them off  in cold water before storing them...im pretty sure the big egg producers wash them , you never get a mucky egg from the supermarket? ...

[jukel123 8,803]

The supermarkets,are a major cause of animal cruelty imo. Animals and birds are pushed to ever more limits to improve profitability.As soon as their efficiency drops below the required standard they are slaughtered.

The average consumer doesn't think about welfare, they just look at price. Yet, often, they are the same people who give us stick for providing our own food via country sports. The hypocrisy is staggering.

There is way more barbaric cruelty in intensive farming than there is in  shooting, fishing or  coursing.

Try telling townies that though.

[SheepChaser 8,089]

  On 28/04/2022 at 09:28, borderboy said:

People don’t realise that in a lot of cases when they are buying food from the supermarkets they are paying for it twice. The shelf price and then tax thats allocated as subsidies to farmers. It allows the supermarkets to squeeze the farmers on price then the taxpayer picks up the slack.

currently the way we eat, buy and produce food is in a lot of cases a shambles. 

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Then you get folk like me. Farm thousands of sheep, a pile of cows, and work for others contracting . . . . but no chance I could afford a farm. They are all bought by folk from London. . . . who then rent it to me . . . . . and claim the subsidy and payments on the land I farm. 

[Born Hunter 17,820]

What I don’t understand is if it’s so simple as supermarkets doing whatever they want why farmers aren’t cooperatively striking? NFU? If supermarkets can’t get eggs at the price they want then they’ll pay more surely? Naive view sure, but I’d like to hear why.

If farmers are really going bust at current prices then the supply will collapse and the prices will have to go up to bolster it anyway.

Ive got mates in farming and we’ve all listened to how farming is f****d for decades. But they’re all still managing skiiing holidays and new discos/RRs… even the non land owning lads still afford new hiluxs.

Bit hard to swallow at face value tbh.