Frankenchickens or normal commercial broiler bird husbandry?

[Chicalina]

I came across this story yesterday about "frankenchickens" and it made me think that most people really don't understand the commercial broiler industry. If you house tens of thousands of fast growing meat birds in a barn, packed closely together, then a few of them are going to show illness, injury or just plain consequences of being born as a modern broiler.

Even in their short lives, they should have high animal welfare standards applied. I note the producer only apologised for not having removed the afflicted birds. Which would have been culled if they had been noticed. But how do they notice a sick bird in such a tightly packed place? Cameras with AI?

Surely people who don't like chickens being raised in such an intensive way, or bred for such a short accelerated life (and the health risks associated with that), shouldn't eat supermarket chicken, full stop? But the demand for cheap meat is there so producers will continue to produce it. And in some cases, even though we have high welfare standards here in the UK, there will still be chicks that get sick, don't grow or suffer from just being them.

 

[Dovethesilkie]

I am so glad someone else understands it’s basically impossible for all of the thousands of birds to be healthy they were bred for meat and that’s it the broilers literally can’t survive for very long in perfect conditions due to how they were bred and this practice helps put food on a lot of peoples tables

 

[KingD]

I agree with what you're saying and I've seen the state of the hens than come out if those places. My friend lives next door to a huge chicken abattoir and yeh the hens don't look great at all. Poor things.

I will never stop eating chicken from shops because I believe humans have civilised in a way that has meant we no longer have to hunt for our own food. Are we now starting to go back in time?

At the end of the day, it's for our own good that they're being produce to eat despite the way they are kept.

I think most of the meat poultry producers have a pretty high standard of welfare for the hens as they have regular checks.

I personally think that Vegans are causing the world to worry about things like this. Think about only 10 or 20 years ago, there was no where near as much concern back then.

Unfortunately it is a necessity for animals to be bred for meat, same as the use of rodents for the testing of medicines.

 

[KingD]

I agree with what you're saying and I've seen the state of the hens than come out if those places. My friend lives next door to a huge chicken abattoir and yeh the hens don't look great at all. Poor things.

I will never stop eating chicken from shops because I believe humans have civilised in a way that has meant we no longer have to hunt for our own food. Are we now starting to go back in time?

At the end of the day, it's for our own good that they're being produce to eat despite the way they are kept.

I think most of the meat poultry producers have a pretty high standard of welfare for the hens as they have regular checks.

I personally think that Vegans are causing the world to worry about things like this. Think about only 10 or 20 years ago, there was no where near as much concern back then.

Unfortunately it is a necessity for animals to be bred for meat, same as the use of rodents for the testing of medicines.

I don't think I got your point but I had a good rant anyway

 

[Chicalina]

I agree with what you're saying and I've seen the state of the hens than come out if those places. My friend lives next door to a huge chicken abattoir and yeh the hens don't look great at all. Poor things.

I will never stop eating chicken from shops because I believe humans have civilised in a way that has meant we no longer have to hunt for our own food. Are we now starting to go back in time?

At the end of the day, it's for our own good that they're being produce to eat despite the way they are kept.

I think most of the meat poultry producers have a pretty high standard of welfare for the hens as they have regular checks.

I personally think that Vegans are causing the world to worry about things like this. Think about only 10 or 20 years ago, there was no where near as much concern back then.

Unfortunately it is a necessity for animals to be bred for meat, same as the use of rodents for the testing of medicines.

My personal view differs from yours. I don't believe our welfare standards go far enough in ensuring a good life (however short) for broiler chickens. And it's not just their food and housing, it's the fact that we have bred these mutant bird breeds like Cornish X to grow so unnaturally quickly that they have to be processed at 8 weeks old or so before they get so sick they can't walk or have heart attacks.

Humans can go so far in genetically improving a species, or breeding traits into it that benefit us, but with some breeds we may have gone too far. Far enough that we build in really bad consequences for that animal. Think brachycephalic dogs for example.

I've got the greatest respect for small scale chicken breeders who raise broilers for meat for their own families, because they care for those chickens. The rest of us, the general public who consume and demand cheap chicken meat, WE are the ones responsible for the chickens who do suffer, not necessarily the chicken factory producers. We should own this. Its no good going on a march against one supermarket about frankenchickens because you saw an emotive photo of a lame broiler. It's a whole worldwide industry that needs to change and its only the consumers who can make that happen by not demanding as much supply. We don't need to eat quite as much meat as we do for instance, and we can make choices with our wallets as to what meat we buy.

I am a meat eater BTW. Not a vegan. I love meat! I try and buy high welfare meat from my local farm shop when I can, because it feels important to me that it lived a good life (also it tastes better and is higher quality). I appreciate that not everyone can afford that.

That's my rant. Its against excessive consumerism and for animal welfare.

 

[KingD]

My personal view differs from yours. I don't believe our welfare standards go far enough in ensuring a good life (however short) for broiler chickens. And it's not just their food and housing, it's the fact that we have bred these mutant bird breeds like Cornish X to grow so unnaturally quickly that they have to be processed at 8 weeks old or so before they get so sick they can't walk or have heart attacks.

Humans can go so far in genetically improving a species, or breeding traits into it that benefit us, but with some breeds we may have gone too far. Far enough that we build in really bad consequences for that animal. Think brachycephalic dogs for example.

I've got the greatest respect for small scale chicken breeders who raise broilers for meat for their own families, because they care for those chickens. The rest of us, the general public who consume and demand cheap chicken meat, WE are the ones responsible for the chickens who do suffer, not necessarily the chicken factory producers. We should own this. Its no good going on a march against one supermarket about frankenchickens because you saw an emotive photo of a lame broiler. It's a whole worldwide industry that needs to change and its only the consumers who can make that happen by not demanding as much supply. We don't need to eat quite as much meat as we do for instance, and we can make choices with our wallets as to what meat we buy.

I am a meat eater BTW. Not a vegan. I love meat! I try and buy high welfare meat from my local farm shop when I can, because it feels important to me that it lived a good life (also it tastes better and is higher quality). I appreciate that not everyone can afford that.

That's my rant. Its against excessive consumerism and for animal welfare.

Are you one of those people who blocked the entrance to the McDonald's distribution center as a protest??

Jk jk.

 

[Chicalina]

Are you one of those people who blocked the entrance to the McDonald's distribution center as a protest??

Jk jk.

I save my protest marching for the nightmares of Brexit and politics in this country

My point about this particular march is that I suspect many of the people protesting or at least those tutting and saying 'that's awful' when they read the news story think that it is one rogue chicken producer, when in fact it is the whole industry, driven by the general public who won't pay more than £2.50 in a supermarket for a whole chicken to take home and roast.

Except for the vegans of course