Domestic chickens cruelly modified?

[mamadrake]

i saw a YouTube video the other day that was talking about the awful way that hens are treated in the industrial egg industry. It was very sad...but this woman also said that our domestic breeds today have been modified to lay all the eggs that they do, and that it’s cruel. She likened it to a woman being forced to have her period almost everyday. Has anyone ever heard this? I never had, and honestly never thought about it, but it makes sense to me. So...are our ladies miserable and in pain the way this woman made it seem? I’ve been treating my birds extra kindly since I heard that...I give them lots more treats and stuff. I love my birds and hate the thought of them being miserable...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That's just the way the world works. Some people consider it cruel to breed chickens to produce meat efficiently or to lay more than a few dozen eggs a year. Some consider it cruel to keep them locked up safe from predators as they should roam free or maybe predators need to eat. Some consider it cruel to spay or neuter a dog or cat. Lots of people have opinions.

I raise my chickens the best I can and consider that good enough. I raise chickens for meat. They have a real good life until they have one bad experience and I try to make that experience as brief as I can.

I seriously doubt your chickens are miserable. If you did not have them they probably would have never hatched. The eggs would not have been put in an incubator.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

It IS true that chickens have been bred to be laying machines for the money making commercial egg companies and their treatment of battery caged chickens is deplorable! However, it is our responsibility as backyard chicken keepers to provide our chickens with the best quality care, feed and shelter that they so deserve. I highly doubt my flock is suffering, nor anyone’s flock in our community if their needs are well taken care of. Watching those videos is an eye opening experience and hopefully leads to the humane treatment of all animals in our care. Your chickens are lucky to be in the hands of someone who cares about them! Enjoy your flock!

 

[LaurEliz]

I can see that domesticated chicken breeds have definitely been bred to produce as many eggs as possible, as that is the way a lot of people/companies would make money off of them.

Even so, I think most, if not all, of the people on this website are doing everything they can to make the lives of their chickens as happy and pleasant as possible (we're even going so far as to join a forum about them and share thoughts/ideas/knowledge with other chicken owners: pretty dedicated to the welfare of our birds, I'd say!)

Although, as breeding for production purposes over many years would change our chickens drastically from their ancestors, I think that it's safe to say that our chickens (not modern chickens in big egg factories, however, though there's not much we can do about that besides using our own chickens for eggs and not supporting the industry by giving them more money) are being treated very nicely and are enjoying their lives.

 

[BantyChooks]

I do not think hens are miserable when they lay eggs. They get a sort of intense look on their faces, hunch a bit, then as soon as they lay it they go merrily trotting off. They do not exhibit behaviors consistent with a bird in pain.

 

[perchie.girl]

i saw a YouTube video the other day that was talking about the awful way that hens are treated in the industrial egg industry. It was very sad...but this woman also said that our domestic breeds today have been modified to lay all the eggs that they do, and that it’s cruel. She likened it to a woman being forced to have her period almost everyday. Has anyone ever heard this? I never had, and honestly never thought about it, but it makes sense to me. So...are our ladies miserable and in pain the way this woman made it seem? I’ve been treating my birds extra kindly since I heard that...I give them lots more treats and stuff. I love my birds and hate the thought of them being miserable...

First of all Welcome To BYC from San Diego...

Please please do not take the voice of one person on a video.... There are quite a few out there that show only a skewed view. Its also dangerous to anthropomorphize. Attributing human feelings on to creatures that have a totally different nature mind and Biological needs. heck their eyesight is geared more to the ultra violet....

The others have said it well. We here do the best for the flocks we have...

The other side is We (human beings) change the animals we domesicate.... simply by choosing the characteristics we need... Wolves become dogs.... Horses become bigger heavier for pulling or lighter and leaner for running.... With those changes came more responsibility for the care of the animals.

chickens have been domesticated Thousands of years.... From Three types Green Jungle fowl Red jungle Fowl and the Blue egg layers of South America... Out of those thousands of years we have diverse breeds some that can handle extreme cold some that Lay an egg per day.... Some that are fancy and can never fly Some that have black skin and bones.... More breeds you can count.

Me... I would rather raise my own so I know what they eat how their lives are spent and tend their needs....

deb

 

[Chickassan]

There are also youtube videos that say Elvis works at burger king but it dosen't make it true. And yes chickens are modified from their jungle fowl ancestors, but if they wern't you'd only get eggs a couple times a year IF you could find the suckers! Truly though, my hens have it better than I do in life and in lady buisness.

 

[drumstick diva]

which Burger King?

 

[Chickassan]

It was in Thailand if I remember correctly.

which Burger King?