What About Chickens?

Chickens are the animal that gets the harshest deal from humans just by sheer number slaughtered each year and conditions of living. But why should we care? After all, they are just dumb feather brains right?

Well, actually, for those who work with chickens, especially rehabilitated chickens, would describe them as being intelligent, friendly and even compassionate.

Let us go back to the original chicken, the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), still living in jungles and forests in South East Asia, and only a slight similarity to the hens we see in the West today. The red jungle fowl has strong legs, runs quickly and is a deep red colour. Farmed hens are lucky to be able to stand up for long periods of time. This is a result of selective breeding in intensive factory farms.

Red jungle fowl and free range chickens, who are allowed to create their own
social groups, communicate with each other by different postures and displays, by using different vocal calls and even by the colour and size difference of combs.

So, when you cram these highly intelligent birds into tiny cages or up to 70,000 in a barn, unsurprisingly, problems will occur. In barns, the birds are continuingly meeting new hens and having to establish hierarchies, which leads to confusion and then, aggression. In cages, birds cannot move away from birds of a higher status and therefore can be subject to aggression.

The hens housed in barns have constant competition at the feeder, and if a hen falls over, she can be trampled to death. An increase in birds and a decrease in space allowance results in an increase in abnormal behaviours such as self mutilation in the form of feather pecking or cannibalism.

Most farming systems will de-beak or beak trim the birds using lasers or clippers, usually without any anaesthesia to reduce these abnormal behaviours rather than improving the living conditions.

Supporting farmers who have adopted a free range farming system, or simply giving up eggs is one way to help the birds, but informing the relevant authorities for your country that you prefer a higher welfare system shows them that you are making informed choices. This can affect any animal welfare laws that are passed.

Check out these charities that actively campaign for and even rescue ex-laying hens:

Chicken Out

United Poultery Concerns

Hillside Animal Sanctuary

British Hen Welfare Trust

Animal Acres

Compassion in World Farming

Farm Sanctuary