The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: shetlandpaul on July 04, 2009, 03:58:16 pm
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I'm really going to start crying soon. it appears its now dangerous to sell fertile egg because they may start to develop while being stored. i hope no one is storing eggs at temps were this will happen. i am not killing off the cockerels because someone may be stupid with there food. what next can they ban. don't eat lettuce in case of caterpillars. no apples there maybe maggots. and going blackberry picking must be out.
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>:(*****!!!!!//////What ever next, who makes up these silly rules, is mold not life? what about all the flies and spiders that get killed? What about people with head lice and other infestetions, they have babies too!!!!!!
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where did that just come from, Paul??? Westminster, Edinburgh, Brussels??? Can't find anything on line. :&>
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A late april fouls?
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from the smallholders magazine q and a section. i thought it was a joke first but i somehow suspect its right.
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I had heard something along those lines, it is only selling them for eating though, basically what they think is if you are selling eggs for eating that have been fertilised by a cockerel then if stored incorrectly by the seller or buyer these can start to incubate. Obviously on cracking an egg open and you see this you wouldn't eat it!
Can't see the problem myself as I have had eggs for eating stored in many different conditions and have never had this problem, just more rules and regs to make things even harder, especially for the people that sell eggs not for profit but to go towards feeding their hens.
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could be wrong but i understood it has always been the case that if you have a cockerel running with hens you cannot sell to the public......................neil
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Nothing surprises me any more - its just rules, regulations and red tape, making it more and more difficult for people like us to carry on.
My hens are free range, and its said that having a cockerel stops them roaming so much ....hmmm. not sure on that one!! Just how would people be storing the eggs to make them suddenly start to incubate??? In the oven maybe??? You would need to be keeping the eggs at a very high, constant temperature, and how or why would they be doing this?
If the public are successful at hatching any of my eggs then I say well done, because this year, I have only had one successful hatch.
What are we all supposed to do with our cockerels then - I have 5!!!
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does that apply to duck eggs, too? :&>
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What precisely did the article say? There's a danger of getting worried about something because no one has looked at the basic legislation. Hence entirely incorrect Daily Mail 'esque rabble rousing about 'straight' bananas etc. If there's a chance the relevant Q&A could be reproduced here (with proper attribution) then it would make a bit more digging easier.
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Can't see anything at all on Defra's website relating to this and I would have thought that it would have been fairly obvious on there, don't happen to have a copy of the smallholder magazine and can't remember seeing it in practical poultry either, so would be good to have the source if possible and find out where the information came from.
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THE EC EGG MARKETING STANDARDS REGULATIONS
APPENDIX A - EGG QUALITY STANDARDS (GRADE A)
Cuticle
normal
clean
undamaged
Shell
normal
clean
undamaged
Air-Space
height <= 6mm
stationary
Albumen
clear
limpid
of a gelatine-like consistency
free of extraneous matter of any kind
Yolk
visible on candling as a shadow only, without a clearly discernible outline
not moving appreciably away from the egg on rotation
free of extraneous matter of any kind
Germ Cell
imperceptible development ie no eggs that can develop
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so we can still ungraded eggs. my how terrible we chuck owners have been killing millions with our deadly eggs. when i find the magazine i will post it.
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The article was in the new Poultry supplement of the July copy of Country Smallholder (p29). Question was 'is it acceptable to run layer hens with a cockeral? Answer was it is illegal although no references or much further detail given. Reason stated was that it prevents embryos inadvertently forming although a friend I spoke to reckoned it was more to do with stopping people buying eggs from Tescos, hatching them and making their own eggs. Not that she's cynical you understand!!
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lol... not heard of anyone hatching ordinary chicken eggs bought from tesco's etc , but I have heard of people doing it with quail eggs from the same place... even thought about having a go myself .... ::)
cheers
Russ
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I saw that in Country Smallholding and didn't believe it. I plan to contact them to get the right information. I'm not killing Hector.
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weve always had mr cockerel running with the hens and will continue to do so, never had any indication of problems in eggs probably a million to one shot to ever find anything so will carry on as we are.
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now that's a weird concept...
At least my "minority" birds or was it "specialty"? are allowed as their eggs can't be graded. I do feel for all of you with all that fuzz about a spot in an egg...:&>
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just think of it as a little extra protein. the Filipino's like eating half developed eggs and pay a premium so maybe a new market.
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its alright my kids think im weird to ;D ;D ;D
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yes, I saw that program! I think I rather eat worms myself (if it has to be something exotic or authentic)....
With the weird concept I meant having something hatching out of a Tesco's egg, lol:&>
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I did hear of a bloke who bought an oven ready bird from Tesco and resuscitated it at home. He's got a pretty good flock now and none of them need plucking!
:P ::)
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I've seen the ones, they are such pretty naked birds, easycare, must try that at home lol :&>
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naked birds at home .....yep ... think I will give that one a go too .... :o ::) ;D
cheers
Russ
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only one at the time, Russ (what are you thinking!) :&>
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oh god .. got carried away there for a mo (Benny Hill music plays in the background :love: :love: :love:)......got the hose pipe in my ear, washing my brain out now... dirty boy , dirty boy ....... ::) ::) ::) ;D
cheers
Russ ( Benny Hill music still playing in the background )
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;D Just nature, I bet the hens and cockerels have dirty thoughts too!!
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Not sure the hens have a chance to think about it - or maybe that's just Hector's technique.
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watching the ducks - most times they'd rather do something else if they had the chance to get away...might be the same with hens, lol :&>
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Hello,
Surely if the eggs are fresh what's the problem ? I buy my eggs from a neighbours farm (my granddaughter even hatched some once) and I've never had any problems. Need to round-up all these H&S lunatics but that's another story....
Regards
Tony
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H&S get good money, a well paid job!! i wish I had the training and I would be well off....
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Not sure the hens have a chance to think about it - or maybe that's just Hector's technique.
yes they are not the most romantic of birds
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Occasionally you do hear of people hatching shop bought eggs!.
The Eggs for sale in supermarkets are not supposed to be fertile as some bright spark came up with the idea that the sperm from a cockerel is a foreign body rather than being part of a natural process called LIFE!.
I will continue to keep a cockerel and I think he will continue to do his Job.
Luckily for me he can not read anything not even Country Smallholder even though he likes to look at the Birds!. ;)
Kind regards
Joe :)
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have just watched "What really is in our food" - now this makes more sense. they showed half incubated eggs sold on a grand scale for processed foods...:&>
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the maggots were a nice touch to.
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they puzzled me a bit, how did they fit in with eggs, fertilized or not?? :&>
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have just watched "What really is in our food" - now this makes more sense. they showed half incubated eggs sold on a grand scale for processed foods...:&>
it would make odd baked goods.
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Glad I now produce most of my own food, lol, don't really want to know what I ate before!! Some extra protein?? :&>
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they were filming this. so one has to ask was this faked for the filming. any firm doing that and willing to be filmed would be shut in a second. even the worst quality control would have detected the maggots and half formed chicks. by the way were did the chick come from. i thought all commercial flock were female.
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remember, this shot was supposedly taken in Italy. Maybe the eggs were imported from the Philipines? All EU produced products can be sold here, like they can be in cakes and what have it as processed egg. the sentiment was that they use rubbish to sell us in the supermarkets, nothing new there, all in all a good program for newbies, lol. I wonder if the informant in the meat industry is still alive...:&>