Well, I have been doing some research and looking into animal cruelty today. In particular I have been focusing on the poultry industry, and what I have discovered is beyond disturbing to say the least.
There are so many birds and so many places that abuse them, I don’t even know where someone would begin in doing something about it. I watched several videos taken at hatcheries, some were filmed undercover, but one was even featured on “How It’s Made” on the Discovery Channel. Of course the one from the Discovery Channel didn’t show anything extreme or any injured or dying birds, but it still showed huge numbers of baby chickens moving down conveyor belts and being roughly handled. The undercover videos showed horrific things that I couldn’t believe I was seeing.Many of the chicks are injured and killed by the machinery, and, if they are weak, sick, or injured, they are disposed of along with their shells. They also go through a process where they are hung by their heads and have the ends of their beaks burnt off, so that they will not be able to injure other birds by pecking. I know how terrified these poor little babies must be. Having hatched and raised so many chickens myself, I know that when they are that young, all they want is warmth and protection. Instead, these chicks are faced with being roughly handled, (even thrown), sent down long conveyors where many get injured, and put into crates for shipping.
I myself had never really looked so much into what goes on at a hatchery. I already knew that sometimes the birds are handled roughly in order for the workers to maintain speed and efficiency, but I had no idea it could be so bad as what I saw today. These sweet little birds may as well have been non-living things, simply useless objects to be tossed about whichever way the workers wanted them to go.
Of course, that brings up the central point behind all this senseless cruelty. These chickens are far from useless, at least the strong and healthy ones aren’t. MONEY…that is the number one reason all of these things go on. If there was no money in it, then no one would do it. I know that this is obvious in many instances where unethical and horrendous things go on, but I still wish it could be easily brought to an end. Many people feel that the answer is staying away from meat and animal products all together, but, realistically, I don’t believe that there will ever come a day when everyone in the world becomes a vegan or a vegetarian. What needs to change is how the animals are treated during their entire lives.
I eat meat and eggs, and I don’t condemn anyone else who does so. Most people probably have absolutely none or very little knowledge about what goes on in the lives of the animals that eventually end up in grocery stores or fast-food restaurants. I don’t think it’s wrong to eat them, and I know that there will always be people who do, what is wrong is how they are treated. Watching those videos makes that very clear to me.
This morning my dad made us breakfast with fresh eggs from our chickens. I mentioned that they taste much better because they come from happy hens, and I believe that. Our chickens can actually be chickens. They are able to run and flap their wings, clean their feathers and drink clean water and eat nutritious food. I believe it is not at all wrong to eat eggs from chickens who have been raised with love and respect. The truth is though that most people are not able to have their own chickens. Obviously the majority of people live in cities, and are therefore unable to own poultry of their own. The grocery store is the only option for most people out there, and it’s just easier not to ask questions about where the eggs come from and how the hens who lay them are treated.
It is true that there are more businesses these days who claim on their cartons to have “free-range” hens, but there is no way of knowing whether or not this claim is true. Apparently there have been cases of false advertising in this regard. Obviously there is less money to be made by businesses who actuallydo treat their birds ethically, and eggs from such hens cost more to buy. I believe though that we should all support the farmers and companies who truly make a commitment to treat their birds fairly.
Anyway, here is a informative little site outlining some of the things that go on in the poultry industry, as well as some truths of how special each of these birds really is.
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WARNING: This video is very graphic. Please do not watch it if you are uncomfortable seeing the extreme cruelty to baby chickens that goes on in hatcheries each and everyday.
This video is from Compassion Over Killing and is the result of one of their investigations into animal cruelty.
Love the Birds 