Help Save Lives

Chickens are not really known for their cuteness or maybe even their intelligence, but nonetheless they are extremely loving and compassionate animals, that make wonderful companions and are partial to a cuddle or two.
The males are known as Roosters, juvenile males are known as Cockerels. Females are Hens and young females are Pullets. Contrary to popular belief, roosters will crow at anytime, night or day. It is merely a shrill call of dominance.

Chickens are omnivores (meaning, like pigs, they eat every category of digestible foods), they are fed seed, but will dig up insects such as worms and eat them, they will also eat vegetation and if the situation arose, a small rodent.
Despite being birds, chickens rarely fly, and if they do, the cannot fly for long distances. They mainly fly to explore their surroundings or if faced with danger.
Once the hen has her egg fertilised by the Rooster, she will lay the eggs around 25 hours later. Sometimes, she may continue to mate with the Rooster and continue to lay fertilised eggs, other times she may just sit upon her nest and brood until the eggs hatch. (If the eggs are unfertilised they will not hatch and she will soon grow bored and wander off).
Chickens live for about 5 years, some may live longer depending on the breed.

Approximately 44 Billion chickens are slaughtered worldwide every year. 44 Billion, that's a number that you would not be able to get your head around. 800 Million of those are slaughtered in the UK (thats 200 Million more than 1992), More than 320 Million are slaughtered every year in Australia, and 8.5 Billion in the US. How and where are all these birds housed?

And why does one chick look like this?

The other like this?

The reason that this chick lays helpless on its side is because he is deformed. So many chemicals have been pumped into his tiny body to force him to grow at an alarming rate. Artificial bright lighting keep him hungry to he eats more, to grow more, to weigh more until eventually his frail baby bones break. He can no longer support his own weight. While laying there, helpless, he may get pecked to death and trampled on. A result of distress and confusion of the surroundings they are forced to endure.

The broiler sheds house between 20,000 and 50,000 birds. Many may house up to 100,000. The damp concrete floors are covered with woodshavings or litter ready for each new batch of chicks. The chicks grow unnaturally rapid and pretty soon they only have a space smaller than an A4 piece of paper each.

Broiler chickens are usually slaughtered after six or seven weeks, some are slaughtered after four. They spend the last few weeks of their lives in dim artificial lighting (sometimes pitch black to prepare them in case there is a power cut). They become distressed and there is no doubt that they are in pain. The more they grow, the worse the conditions become.
The chickens will compete for food and water as there is so many birds, it is usually hard to reach. A recent study showed that 80% of all broiler chickens suffered from broken bones and other skeletal deformities. The ones that are too crippled to move die, either of starvation, dehydration, being trampled or pecked to death.

The litter becomes ridden with faeces and ammonia. The chickens, trying to take weight off their legs, are forced to crouch causing burning blisters on their legs (hock marks) and breasts. Next time you see a chicken in the supermarket with the marks on its legs (below) you'll know why. Its own urine has burnt blisters into the chicken's skin.

When the birds are ready for slaughter, several at once are carried by their feet and thrown into trucks, broken and dislocated bones are a common occurance in this part of the process. The crates are loaded onto lorries, they are then driven through all weathers, sometimes considerable distances in the blistering cold or sweltering heat. It is estimated that more than 6 million chickens die en route to the slaughter house every year.
Once there, the chickens are once again placed upside down and clipped onto a conveyor belt. Their heads are dragged through water with an electrical charge running through it, this supposedly stuns them, that is, if the chicken doesn't move its head like it does in so many cases.  The conveyor belt continues its journey taken the birds towards and automatic neck cutting machine. The chickens that are still conscious will once again move their heads as a natural reaction for something coming towards it.

CAUTION: TRUTHFUL PICTURES BELOW 

The beheaded chickens are left to bleed for about 1.5 minutes. Next they are taken to the scalding tank where they are plunged into water so hot it loosens the feathers ready for plucking. 25% of broiler chickens enter the scalding tank alive and fully conscious. The chickens are then plucked, unrequired bits hacked off, packaged up and sold to as value food.

STOP PRETENDING THAT THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!

It is not too late to start saving lives. 

Any questions or comments?
Drop me an email on helpsavelives@tiscali.co.uk