Communication of mother hens with their chicks begins before the chicks hatch. Hens and chicks will peek back and forth while the chicks are still in the egg. Their bond begins to form before the chick enters the world.
But chicks born in the hatchery never get to meet their mother.
The confused chicks were placed in the incubator without the mother hen seeing. The chicks are put on the conveyor belt on the first day of life.
The assembly line workers then mutilate the chicks. The chicks will have their beaks cut off or completely cut off at the end in a process known as “de-beaking”. This is done to prevent stressed birds from attacking each other and reducing the value of the carcass.
Cut off the beak of a young chicken. This is usually done on the first day of life.
The chicks are then shipped as direct mail to commercial barns. Direct shipping is extremely dangerous for baby birds. Hundreds of thousands of turkeys, chickens and ducklings alike are killed in the process each year. These are considered acceptable losses. Extreme weather events, mailing delays, and shipping/handling errors can easily and painfully and frighteningly shorten a baby bird’s lifespan.
Chicks arriving at a commercial “coop” are more like a barn. These cramped, windowless, metal barns can hold hundreds of thousands of chickens. Since it was impossible to clean the barn with the crowded chickens inside, the stench of ammonia and manure quickly became unpleasant.
This left both the poultry and the factory’s farm workers in respiratory failure. That’s why so many birds are routinely given antibiotics from a very young age: to keep them alive in conditions otherwise kill them.
Corn chickens (referred to by the meat industry as “broilers” and “peepers” by the conservation community) are selectively bred to grow at lightning speed. These birds gain weight quickly, especially when fed in unlimited quantities while they are on the farm. Chickens are usually slaughtered between 5-7 weeks of age, with an average slaughter age of 47 days old. In 1955, the typical slaughter age of a chicken was 70 days old.
A typical “growing warehouse” – artificial light replacing the sun.
Growth at such a rapid rate causes many health problems in modern chickens. Leg and foot problems, heart problems, and a tendency to overheat are just some of the problems house chickens often suffer from. Many will die before being slaughtered. But some people might consider these lucky people.
Like all animals raised for carcasses, chickens’ short lives lead to the day they are slaughtered. For many people, the day they are packed tightly into the slaughter box is the first and last time they will see the sun. The slaughter process is very stressful. There are no regulations restricting the carriage of “livestock” in inclement weather. Birds often face extreme conditions on open-air pickup trucks.
Chickens are still young when they are delivered when they die.
The US Humane Slaughter Act requires large mammals to be stunned before slicing their throats. However, this law excludes birds and rabbits.
Chickens are hung upside down in shackles to be slaughtered. While some slaughterhouses use electrified baths to stun birds before slaughter, This is not a legal requirement. Many birds will still have their throats slashed while fully conscious.
All The chickens will find themselves on a crowded truck for slaughter at the end of their lives. This includes people from farms with slightly better welfare practices.
Animal Place encourages our supporters to remove animal products from their diets on behalf of the animals that are suffering so much at the hands of these cruel industries. Like all animals, Chicken deserves better.
Written by Chelsea Pinkham
