I always buy free range eggs and yes it does hit the hip pocket but some things are worth hitting the 

hip pocket for, like knowing I'm not promoting such cruelty to caged chickens.  It's only a drop in the 

ocean when it comes to cruelty to animals but small drops add up .  

I've alway had backyard chooks and am down to 2 now. Our bantam is nearly 13 years old so she is let off laying, but her offsider lays one egg and goes broody for a month. We spend a fortune buying chookfood...and free range eggs. 😄

I really really want some chooks.  I might treat myself to one of those chicken hutches and runs soon.  They couldn't be too free range here because they wouldn't survive but I've got the space for a decent sized one.

Joono

I want some chooks too. I wonder if I got them when they're babies if I can train them to be friendly? I've had chooks before but they weren't tame.

We used to rescue caged chooks when we were kids. My dad would get them from the cruel farmer and they couldn't walk or even hold their heads up, but after a month or two of pampering they'd be happy & laying. It makes me feel sick to think of eating an animal that has lived a sad and traumatic life.
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Go for it joono, they are such fun to watch and have such personalities. Our elderly bantam still thinks she is a house chook and wants to come and sit on the lounge with the cats. (she's a hand raised day old chick)

Do you let her inside, EM? Is she toilet trained? 😄 I'd like three tame, friendly, toilet trained chooks.
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I am never having chickens Woman Surprised they scare me, those beady little eyes and sharp beaks!

When we lived on the farm, I had children to do the chicken keeping and egg collection..................

I am happy to pay extra for proper eggs.

She comes inside and gets comfortable then gets chased out when we notice her. She chases the cats away from where they might be sleeping. Sadly she isn't toilet trained. Maybe we should have put down paper for her when she was a chicken. 😄

There's free range , and there's free range. Blindly buying eggs because they have the slogan free range on them is a bit misguided.

Some so called 'free range ' producers have so many birds per hectare that it isn't much different to cage eggs. Sometimes up to 20,000 birds. Coles allows 10,000, whereas smaller true free range farms might only have 1500. Large producers, like Coles and Woolies, are making a killing by charging a high price for these eggs, with so many eggs produced from a small area. The consumer is being ripped off really, and a bit deceived. The best eggs are those you produce yourself.

Lol maybe I could train my chooks with a puppy training mat.

I'm so glad woolies has made this decision, hopefully the other supermarkets will copy.
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