Another q. on the Free Range Chicken

[Hgrove]

Having read the replies to my question below, and read about the chickens' (hens') distressing conditions, I would like to ask the people who answered: have you been able to find a supplier which givesyou the confidence the chickens (or other animals) were humanely treated and killed? (N.B. I am not asking where you shop;  I just wonder if there ARE any trustworthy suppliers).

[ursula62]

You could try a farm shop near where you live. My mum used to get fresh chickens from a farm shop about 10 miles out of London. Sometimes we would have to pluck them when we got home. At least if you buy direct from the farm you can see how the chickens live.

[Hgrove]

Thank you for your answer.  I am not a very confident driver so I tend to stick to nearby shopping centres but I want to try and venture out a bit more to try and find trustworthy farm shops.  I must admit that some of the replies made me feel like I ought to be a vegetarian but realistically, I am not sure I could be.

[ursula62]

These people do mail order. I am not quite sure how you would send meat through the post, but I suppose it can be done!

http://www.graigfarm.co.uk/Default.htm

[Headtime]

This place is an organic farm in Dorset, that delivers within the UK in insulated boxes;

http://www.swaddles.co.uk/shopping-online.htm

Their prices aren't cheap, but if one is paying �2.99 for a chicken in a supermarket - you know the animal will not have received great welfare.

[FP]

The links given above seem good, Hgrove.  Like you, I feel that I would like to have complete confidence that any meat I eat was from animals reared naturally and in complete stress free conditions.  I have come to the conclusion that the only way I can really do this is to rear them myself.  However, if I did this, I just could not kill them.  I think that we eat too much meat these days and could manage on far less and far more vegetables.  However, people have become used to cheap meat and loads of it, so I fear things cannot be changed.