# Humanely raised food



## babyhulk (Jul 15, 2014)

I know it sounds like that hippie topic you get tired of hearing about and I'm not going to write about. But does anyone have any recommendations for stores or brands of chicken or beef that has been raised humanely. By that, I mean has lived outside of a cage for the majority of its life type thing. 
Also, I still eat pretty much any kind of chicken or cow. It's just that I'd prefer if it were raised a little differently. For example, I know some people are privileged to know a local farm you can actually visit and pick out your chickens while they are all running around.


-babyhulk


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## DieYoungStrong (Jul 15, 2014)

So you go to a farm; look at the nice plump chicken who seems to be living a nice chicken life; running around the coup playing chicken games with its chicken pals. And you tell the farmer - off with his head!

Is that more or less humane then putting some poor, caged, 6 winged Purdue chicken out of its chicken misery?


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## PillarofBalance (Jul 15, 2014)

babyhulk said:


> I know it sounds like that hippie topic you get tired of hearing about and I'm not going to write about. But does anyone have any recommendations for stores or brands of chicken or beef that has been raised humanely. By that, I mean has lived outside of a cage for the majority of its life type thing.
> Also, I still eat pretty much any kind of chicken or cow. It's just that I'd prefer if it were raised a little differently. For example, I know some people are privileged to know a local farm you can actually visit and pick out your chickens while they are all running around.
> 
> 
> -babyhulk



In the case of chickens cage free doesn't necessarily mean all that much unfortunately.  Google "CAFO" and you will see what I mean. This is where cage free chickens are raised. The reason it isn't much better is because with the addition of hormones, the genetic adaptations we have forced into the breeds and the unnatural diet we feed them by the time they are 8 weeks old their legs are broken after having been crushed under their unnatural body weight.

Buying commercially raised animals from a store will almost guarantee you the purchase of animals that lived a tortured existence. The sanitary conditions are sub par as well.

Your best bet is to find a local farm where the chickens are allowed to roam as they are ruminants much like pigs are.  Cows should be able to graze in pastures along with the chickens and pigs.

Only when a farmer has to sell you something directly will they do the right thing.

And it's not a hippie thing. I feel pretty strongly about what a shit show our food supply has become and I am no hippie.


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## Oldebull (Jul 15, 2014)

I'ved recently switched to an organic diet (thanks to my wife, who is a bit hippy). We shop mostly at local farmer's markets, Whole Foods and Sprouts. I know Organic doesn't guarantee humanely raised, but it is much more likely. I don't really care about the ethical portion, as DYS said, who cares as the animal is still killed and eaten. Food Chain Baby! But it does appeal to me that the animals are raised in a more natural manner, with a more natural diet, and no hormones or chemicals.
  We pay for it in price. But, in general, the cuts and quality of the meats are better. Everything is fresher, and tastes better. It could be in my head, but I feel better, cleaner. My poops are better. I've had a major GI issue that has cleared up since the change. I am leaner than before. Now, with those things, my overall diet and training goals have changed, I've taken medications, so who is to say that these improvements wouldn't have come had I been eating mass produced, hormone injected, wrapped in plastic, put on trucks across country, Walmart nation meats? I don't know? But all around, I feel better, so I'm not going to argue.

 Once again, to summarize an answer, look into Whole Foods, and Sprouts. Also, I don't know much about it, but Kosher meats will more likely fit your wants. 
Hippy or not, at least you are eating meat. It's once you stop that, that we'd have to bust your chops. Now go take a shower, cut your hair, and go out and find some humanely raised flesh to roast!


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## DieYoungStrong (Jul 15, 2014)

Oldebull said:


> I'ved recently switched to an organic diet (thanks to my wife, who is a bit hippy). We shop mostly at local farmer's markets, Whole Foods and Sprouts. I know Organic doesn't guarantee humanely raised, but it is much more likely. I don't really care about the ethical portion, as DYS said, who cares as the animal is still killed and eaten. Food Chain Baby! But it does appeal to me that the animals are raised in a more natural manner, with a more natural diet, and no hormones or chemicals.
> We pay for it in price. But, in general, the cuts and quality of the meats are better. Everything is fresher, and tastes better. It could be in my head, but I feel better, cleaner. My poops are better. I've had a major GI issue that has cleared up since the change. I am leaner than before. Now, with those things, my overall diet and training goals have changed, I've taken medications, so who is to say that these improvements wouldn't have come had I been eating mass produced, hormone injected, wrapped in plastic, put on trucks across country, Walmart nation meats? I don't know? But all around, I feel better, so I'm not going to argue.
> 
> Once again, to summarize an answer, look into Whole Foods, and Sprouts. Also, I don't know much about it, but Kosher meats will more likely fit your wants.
> Hippy or not, at least you are eating meat. It's once you stop that, that we'd have to bust your chops. Now go take a shower, cut your hair, and go out and find some humanely raised flesh to roast!




This! I wasn't trying to come off as a dick. Just all these animals are being raised to be slaughtered and eaten anyways. 

That said, I much prefer grass fed organic beef and poultry raised without hormones and pumped full of antibiotics. The taste is 1000x better.


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## snake (Jul 15, 2014)

I don’t recommend this but I raise my own. Right now I have 2 pigs, 4 chickens (layers) 5 ducks 2 geese and 6 turkeys. Throw in 3 or 4 deer we shoot each year and the only meat we get from the store is beef and sometimes those chicken nuggets that my little men like.

Where I live, you can pick out an animal and have it processed by the farmer or the butcher can pick it up. If you get a whole pig, depending on the size, you’ll be getting 125-150 lbs of meat; a whole steer well over 400 lbs. If it’s quick frozen in freezer wrap, it will last about 9 months, vacuum packed will extend it to 2 years. Point being, you need freezer room to go down this road. Ow and it’s not cheaper but the meat is incomparable to the store. You never had bacon like this before.

Truthfully, I feel like shit every time I have to kill something but you know it’s coming the day you get them.


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## #TheMatrix (Jul 15, 2014)

Bunch of hippies.


Ill take that tren fed beef and hormone injected breast.  Ill eat it medium to hope I get some of the hormones...the bigger the breast the better
For my newborn? Organic.


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## nightster (Jul 15, 2014)

My wife and I are trying to go more organic, and are far from hippies but do care about how animals are treated.    Nice topic, rhanks for posting!


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## Azog (Jul 15, 2014)

I'm no hippy, but all my shit is organic/free range/grassfed. Makes me feel better (in my head, not physically). Plus, I only feed myself and order everything wholesale through my restaurant so it is p cheap. Grassfed/finished beef for $4.75/lb? Eh, why not?


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## babyhulk (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. I think we are all on a similar page. Like I said. I'm going to eat chicken regardless of how it was raised. I just feel better eating it knowing that it actually lived a decent life. Likewise, I'd love to raise my own someday and yea killing kind of sucks up close and personal but in the end it's a natural form of things. We've all just been so conditioned away from it. I'll try whole foods if I can ever afford it haha. And I'm not entirely opposed to hormones either. As long as it's not to the point of affecting quality of life for the animal.  In the end, if I'm low on money I'll buy some Tyson if it came down to that. If I have money then I'll find a local farm and likely eat and feel better about it. Thanks again! 

-babyhulk


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