Poultry Farms

(CC) Image by Katie Brady

The poultry industry breeds and raises birds for the purpose of farming them for meat or eggs. The most commonly featured birds raised on poultry farms include chickens, turkeys, geese and pheasants all of which suffer immensely. According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74% of the world’s poultry meat and 68% of the world’s poultry eggs come from intensively reared birds. These birds are kept on factory farms where they live confined in either a cage or an overcrowded floor space full of faeces. Birds are often overfed or/and force fed, drugged and genetically altered to grow beyond their natural size. As a result, immune systems become severely weakened with the birds becoming susceptible to disease, infestation and premature death.

Chickens

In the United States alone, 10 billion chickens are brought into existence every year. The vast majority of these chickens will be kept on factory farms where they will be kept in overcrowded barns and cages with a dim light and with no chance to experience the outdoors. Chickens used for meat are fattened up until they are an unhealthy weight, which sometimes causes heart failing and limb pain. Chickens are also debeaked at a young age in an attempt to stop them resorting to cannibalism. In Britain 90 % of chickens are unable to turn around because of the size of the cage or barn space allocated to them. Chickens bred for eggs most commonly live on battery farms which offer them a miserable existence, living in a small cage with a high susceptibility to leg injuries. Male chickens are deemed useless by the meat and dairy industry so they are gassed and grinded alive at one day old.

Ducks & Geese

These birds are mostly bred for foie gras and they are generally kept on factory farms where they are force-fed until their livers swell to 10 times their natural size. Even the minority of ducks and geese living a free range will all endure force feeding. Ducks and Geese become incredibly ill and often die prematurely or may become immobile due to uncontrollable shaking. After the inflated liver reaches the desired size, the liver is sold as the expensive delicacy known as foie gras. While some ducks and geese may be bred for eggs and meat, many of them will endure similar factory farm style conditions. Ducks and geese may also be exploited for their feathers which are used as down in jackets, pillows and mattresses. Plucking, an extremely painful process, normally takes place when the bird is alive and some farm workers have been filmed stitching live geese back up after feathers have been ripped off them.

Emus & Ostriches

Ostriches and Emus are kept in pens or sheds where they are fed an unnatural and unhealthy diet of broiler feed, normally intended for broiler chickens. Those kept on farms in the UK and USA live in typically cold environments that ostriches would not normally be exposed to. As a result, young chicks will die prematurely and become weakened compared to ostrich chicks in hotter climates. In their natural environment the mortality rate for chicks is significantly lower and chicks go on to become strong adults. When an ostrich or emu is captured to be slaughtered, a hood will be placed over it’s head confusing it and impairing it from defending itself.

Pheasants

Contrary to the popular belief that pheasants are all free-range, the majority of pheasants are bred on factory farms similar to those that keep chickens. Pheasants are kept in cramped cages filled with dozens of other pheasants until they reach 3 months old. They are then released in their thousand onto large land estates where hunters pay to shoot as many pheasants as possible for sport. Some of these pheasants are used for meat whilst the majority are dumped into piles after being shot for the ‘thrill’

Quail

These lesser known birds are intensively reared for meat and their eggs, both of which are considered delicacies. Quail are kept in limited sized cages which unsurprisingly have a great impact on the wellbeing and natural behaviour of the birds. Quail become severely distressed and aggressive due to the cramped conditions so they may resort to attacking one another, pecking eyes out and may even severely injure themselves in the process. Disease also becomes a common feature on these factory farms and quails can suffer from infection, leg problems, swollen joints and their uteruses may slide out of place due to weakened body tissues. At just five weeks old, quails are hung upside down in shackles and are electrically stunned before having their throats slit. Some quails may be killed by decapitation or neck breaking.

Turkeys

Turkeys are reared in large factory farms where tens of thousands may be kept on the same barn floor space. They are hatched into incubators and kept their for the first few weeks of their lives, unable to ever see their mothers, after which they are moved into the barn. Parts of their toes and beaks are cut off so as to prevent the birds from resorting to self harm and cannibalism, a common occurrence due to the distressing nature of factory farms. Turkeys are overfed to such a degree that they become so obese that they will loose the ability to reproduce naturally. Turkey farms become riddled with infection and disease as a result of the dire conditions so many turkeys do not make it passed the first few weeks, some even become so stressed that they are unable to eat. Any turkey that develops an illness is not treated, instead they are killed because the turkey is deemed useless and a waste of food.

(CC) Image by frank wouters

(CC) Image by cyanocorax

Action

Whether farmed for meat or eggs, the poultry industry heavily exploits birds for profit and expresses a complete disregard for the welfare of the animals. While some might argue it is traditionally to eat turkeys at thanksgiving and Christmas, tradition should not be followed if it involves the harm and death of another. There are a variety of vegetarian and vegan fake turkey and chicken products available on the market that offer a similar taste to the real thing. Most of the world’s eggs are produced on battery farms and these battery chicken eggs are typically used in mass produced food products. Unless we specifically know that the eggs we are consuming came from an ethical and free-range farm, then it is important to avoid eggs and products containing eggs.

(CC) Image by David Croad

Image by Ethelred

(CC) Image by nicpic

(CC) Image by Tony Wills