factory farming

[chimp54321]

Here is a real crappy topic that most people like to turn their heads at. Somehow I ended up watching probably the most disturbing factory farming video on youtube. I think I was looking up fast food effects on your stomach because mine has never been the same since I binged on it for months a while back. First of all, that was a really bad video to watch when you have a stomach ache. Second, I can't believe I've been funding that crap because I'm a tight wad and like the convenience. Third, I'm all done eating meat or poultry that comes from those places. Regular free range farms that's OK but nothing from factory farms. Makes me sick. I understand nobody likes this topic but I was just curious how you guys feel about the whole thing.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Free range is frequently no better, it just means the animals aren't in individual cages, but are in one giant room. In many ways, free-ranging is more stressful for the animals, and less pleasant for them.

What you wanted is pastured poultry and pork, and 100% grass fed beef. Your best option is to find small, local producers and co-ops and buy from them. You will be paying a lot more, but the taste and quality will be very high.

As for myself, I'm still a tightwad for now, so I'll eat what I can afford, until such time as I can afford better.

By the way, here is what a typical chicken farm looks like:
http://www.chinaslaughter.com/UpLoad...ng%20hens2.jpg

Tight quarters, but everyone's bright-eyed, clean, well-fed, and in good health.

Here is what HSUS would like you to believe a typical chicken farm looks like:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HkEie2eCCo...g-chickens.jpg

Ask yourself--was the video you saw 'the real thing', or was it the worst-case scenario, full of carefully selected images designed to make you believe that a typical animal production facility is a torture chamber?

[chimp54321]

I'm going to try to do my best now with buying non tortured animals. Thanks for the reality check on the situation, the video I watched was extremely disturbing so it must of been the worst case scenario. I'm just going to try to be a little more conscious about what I eat especially now that my stomach is torn to shreds from Mcdonalds. BUT to leave this on a happy note both of the snakes I recently bought had their first, at my house not first ever, shed and their eating great. I would like to switch them to f/t and take them off live so I can buy a bunch of mice for the freezer. I would like to convert them to eating rats too but the previous owner said they wont eat them as I asked about his pet rat. Where is a reputable place to buy just 10 frozen mice?

[SlitherinSisters]

I don't like factory farming because I grew up on a farm, my family has been pig farmers ever since they came to the US 5 generations ago. We had to shut down the farm and rent it to factory farmers because we couldn't compete with factory farms anymore. Our farm was definitely not a "free range" type of farm, but it was a lot better kept than factory farms. Farmers HAVE to take care of their animals, if an animal dies, gets sick, or is thin, that's food they can't afford to put on the table. We can't afford to not give the animals the best care we can.

[mainbutter]

Know your farmer, know your food.

Get yourself a chest freezer and buy direct from the source, where you can see how they raise their animals. My GF's family has gotten half a cow at times from "Farmer Roy". He raises four beef cattle a year, 100% grass fed.

The downside is that it's expensive.

Hunting as a resident in MN, taking two year last year, and paying a local guy to butcher it for me was about as expensive for the amount of meat I got as buying ground beef from the grocery store, not including gas costs (which I write off as fun-time expenses). The plus side is that I know how these deer live, and I'm much happier with their lifestyle than certain farming practices.

[wolfy-hound]

Don't buy into those stupid Animal Rights videos. Those are the same people who declare that your ball python is going to be tossed into the wilds of Michigan, breed with garter snakes and eat people's children if they are not outlawed right away.

Most farms take care of the animals. Sick stressed animals do not grow or breed as well. We all know that with our ball pythons. The term "factory farm" is actually a tool of animal rights groups, because it's vague and has no definition. How big does a farm have to be before they say it's a 'factory farm'? Just like the terms "puppy mill" and "backyard breeder", there is no good farm/ranch in Animal Rights extremist's views.

If you want to eat healthy, good meat/eggs, then do it. If you want to support free range eggs, fine. (by the way, free range does not mean in a big room, that's "cage-free". Free range means they have access to outside, even if the hens almost never choose to go out) You'll pay more but if it makes you feel good to spend more for eggs because the hens went outside and were exposed to extra stresses, pesticides, etc... that's a choice. Some folks think the hens are happier to go outside. Some feel the hens have less stress inside.

Whatever decision you make... make it based on FACTS. Don't base it on HSUS/PETA media reports. Remember that the vegan agenda will have no qualms about faking, exaggerating, lying or twisting facts/video/reports to their own ends. Several of their "exposed" videos turned out to be made with the paid people actually abusing the animals and videotaping it, then editting to say the farm was abusing the animals. (recent dairy farm was a good example of that, the HSUS/PETA/MFA guy did the abuse, but they said the farm was responsible!)

[Raptor]

Free range isn't all that great. Parasites galore, especially internal ones.