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With 160,000 birda gone west on just one turkey farm, I am now more wary about eating chicken or turkey than ever before. Last year we enjoyed a turkey for Easter as well, but certainly I won't be buying one this year. In fact, I'm not even sure I will be buying one at Christmas.

The problem is, what it the alternative? By tradition we always have something dominating the scene. I'm not a vegetarian, although I am beginning to think along those lines now. Trouble is, a nut loaf or baked bean pudding doesn't exactly get the adrenaline going. What do other people cook as opposed to a turkey at Easter or Christmas - I'm serious.

weinbeck;542652 wrote: With 160,000 birda gone west on just one turkey farm, I am now more wary about eating chicken or turkey than ever before. Last year we enjoyed a turkey for Easter as well, but certainly I won't be buying one this year. In fact, I'm not even sure I will be buying one at Christmas.

The problem is, what it the alternative? By tradition we always have something dominating the scene. I'm not a vegetarian, although I am beginning to think along those lines now. Trouble is, a nut loaf or baked bean pudding doesn't exactly get the adrenaline going. What do other people cook as opposed to a turkey at Easter or Christmas - I'm serious.


I had to have Jim explain all this to me this morning, apparently it's okay if it's cooked so we'll still be having turkey and chicken. At Christmas I always do Beef, Lamb, Turkey and Ham, at Easter I always cook Lamb.

weinbeck;542652 wrote: With 160,000 birda gone west on just one turkey farm, I am now more wary about eating chicken or turkey than ever before. Last year we enjoyed a turkey for Easter as well, but certainly I won't be buying one this year. In fact, I'm not even sure I will be buying one at Christmas.

The problem is, what it the alternative? By tradition we always have something dominating the scene. I'm not a vegetarian, although I am beginning to think along those lines now. Trouble is, a nut loaf or baked bean pudding doesn't exactly get the adrenaline going. What do other people cook as opposed to a turkey at Easter or Christmas - I'm serious.


Buy a "free range" bird. It'll be twice the price of an intensively-farmed one,

however. Don't buy eggs from battery-farmed hens. Don't buy the carcasses

of battery-farmed hens. If you can buy an "organic" bird, then you are ensuring

good husbandry as well as less tangible benefits.



Edit: Ooops, sorry, I take it you're worried about "avian 'flu". No need. I still

recommend the above, though, on several grounds.

weinbeck;542652 wrote: With 160,000 birda gone west on just one turkey farm, I am now more wary about eating chicken or turkey than ever before. Last year we enjoyed a turkey for Easter as well, but certainly I won't be buying one this year. In fact, I'm not even sure I will be buying one at Christmas.

The problem is, what it the alternative? By tradition we always have something dominating the scene. I'm not a vegetarian, although I am beginning to think along those lines now. Trouble is, a nut loaf or baked bean pudding doesn't exactly get the adrenaline going. What do other people cook as opposed to a turkey at Easter or Christmas - I'm serious.


Why?

It's dead so it cannot sneeze on you.

Cook it properly and it cannot bite you.

99.99% certain it's not infected in the first place.

What's the problem?

You cannot get bird flu from eating turkeys, but in general the answer to the problems of diseases within the food chain is a move away from the grosser industrial methods and a move towards more sustainable farming methods, it will cost more though, but the quality of the produce and the welfare of the animals would be improved enormously. Again, this would not stop the rise of the flu, which is a separate issue, though the current methods of mass farming of fowl have helped to spread the disease more easily. Its important not to get these issues mixed up.

I'll be taking advantage of how cheap it is at the moment usually it so expensive .

I am not worried in the slightest as long as its cooked properly .

I have no worries. Bird flu has to develop into a human version I believe and then it can only be passed on like regular flu, by coughing and sneezing.



Boycotting food without good reason has a devastating effect on 'that' particular industry and the lively hood of people, so we should be careful how we react to things IMO.