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I call “CS”! UPDATED

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UPDATE. It also has nothing to do with interstate commerce.  

Via The Hill, “Feinstein, other senators propose federal standards for egg-laying hens“

“The egg industry brought this legislation to Congress and has asked us to help them implement the uniform regulations needed to survive and grow,” she said. “The egg industry and the Humane Society are lock-step in their support for this bill. They are joined in endorsing the bill by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Consumer Federation of America.”

CS is similar to BS; the animal changes but the S still stinks. Federal standards for egg-laying hens asked for by the egg industry.

Here are a few things to consider: [It’s go to town day today so I don’t have much time to research this thoroughly right now.]

The “egg-industry” is United Egg Producers:

United Egg Producers (UEP) is a Capper-Volstead cooperative of egg farmers from all across the United States and representing the ownership of approximately 95% of all the nation’s egg-laying hens. Of the total farm members, 34 serve on the Board of Directors and they along with several others serve on various committees. We, therefore, think of UEP as an organization of “Leadership By Egg Farmers – For Egg Farmers”.


Bi-partisan Senate bill 3239’s agrarian co-sponsors (in addition to Feinstein, D-Calif.):
  • Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. 
  • Scott Brown, R-Mass. 
  • Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. 
  • Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. 
  • Ron Wyden, D-Ore. 
  • David Vitter, R-La.
The top 10 states for egg production (with number of “layers”; last updated 3/2011):

1- Iowa                      51,988       
2 – Ohio                     27,486       
3 – Pennsylvania        24,123       
4 – Indiana                 22,001       
5 – California             19,452       
6 – Texas                    14,195
7 – Minnesota            10,023
8 – Michigan                9,623
9 – Nebraska                9,168
10 – Florida                  8,931

We all know what this is about. If your chickens don’t have the proper federally mandated “environmental enrichments” They will come for your chickens. You laugh? From UEP’s web site (updated 3/11):



• To date, there are approximately 180 egg producing companies with flocks of 75,000 hens or more. These companies represent about 95% of all the layers in the United States.** In 1987, there were around 2,500 operations.** (Number of operations in 1987 include some contract farms and divisions.)

Read that carefully. 180 companies hold 95% of the egg-laying chickens in the United States. It doesn’t matter how you read the next sentence– I suspect it means that in 1987 there were about 2500 total egg operations, not 2500 companies with very large flocks. But it doesn’t matter. If 180 companies hold 95% of all egg-laying chickens, there has been a HUGE reduction in egg farms since 1987.

Further (and again from the stats page at UEP) the top five states produce approximately 50% of eggs in this country. California is #5. And the only state in the top 10 whose senator’s name is on the bill.

What CS. This has nothing to do with the health and welfare of chickens or humans.

And I just caught this little co-incidence, from quotes above. 

“… cooperative of egg farmers from all across the United States and representing the ownership of approximately 95% of all the nation’s egg-laying hens.” 

=



These [180] companies represent about 95% of all the layers in the United States.

Bull s&^t

=

Chicken s&^t

6 Responses

  2. Yous said it. I am trying to remember if I have any crappy old books that address the subject. I’m pretty sure I could find one with plans for or discussion of how to make a coop.

    I’ll look into it. Thanks!

  3. I have one such crappy old book…but actually, it doesn’t seem to have much info that I find useful. I sort of inherited some chickens (short version of a long story) and they started dying off…one by one. The ones that died were all hatched by the same hen – but probably had different parents, though of the same basic stock. The ones that survived were good ones – but all from the same stock … from a different source. So what caused the deaths? I have no idea. It wasn’t an all at once thing, but more of a drip drip drip kind of thing.

    I’ve been thinking of getting more, but should I hatch eggs or buy chicks? Can’t really start them in the house and the barn has no power … so just bite the bullet and buy pullets? In this area, they run about $20 each when they’re of laying age. Still…when you consider scratch is about $13 per 50 lbs, ration is about .25 lbs per day (to say nothing about the amount eaten by mice and extraneous birds), maybe that’s a reasonable price. But if they’re just going to up and die? do I need to vaccinate? for what? Guess I should have done as the crappy old book recommended and picked up a carcass, frozen it and taken it to the local Ag authorities.

    Guess my next step will be to find out who the appropriate “local Ag authorities” _are_. Hmmm. And maybe they’ll be able to give me some other worthwhile info.

    Lots of websites that discuss chicken coops, though. Many are “for sale”, but still lots of info to glean from them.

    here are some I found:

    http://www.backyardchickens.com/

    http://backyard-chickencoops.com/

    http://www.instructables.com/id/Backyard-Chicken-Coop/

    http://www.digginfood.com/2009/03/backyard-chickens-101-cool-chicken-coops/

    http://www.henspa.com/

    Last one included only for the info on the page and the link to a poultry website “ring” that might offer yet more info. I thought their coops – which apparently are no longer available – were very interesting, and much more of an investment than I want to make. Also they struck me as being way too limited in space for the chickens.

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