The Effects of Confinement

Rhodebar Lover

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Apr 5, 2015
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Not sure if anyone would be interested but a couple years ago I helped design and conduct a year long research project on the effects of confinement on chicken behavior and eventually the paper was published. Just thought I'd cite it in here in case anyone were curious :) I'm a super big advocate against factory farming and there isn't that much research out there on how specifically confinement effects the chickens themselves. Definitely needs more work in the area but with the resources I had access to, it had interesting results!
https://www.emerginginvestigators.o...ve-learning-of-em-gallus-gallus-domesticus-em

Here's the pdf as well
https://www.emerginginvestigators.o...earning-of-em-gallus-gallus-domesticus-em/pdf
 
If we were able to replicate this experiment with more time and resources, we would have introduced controls for noise and light. Factory farms are extremely loud and have bright lights on all year round, which are not natural living conditions for chickens.

In the couple of years since running the experiments, were you able to emulate factory farm conditions? I'd be curious to see whether not only always-on lighting makes an impact, but what sort of impact mass-crowding has. Would the mass-crowding have the reverse effect (more competition for food, therefore more willing to peck the cottage cheese) or not? Would always on lighting impact appetite or promote it?

Good read and thank you for sharing!
 
Great work! I am not surprised by the findings at all. Confinement is hard on animals mentally and physically because lack of stimulation leads to deterioration. That's my belief, anyway.
Thank you! I firmly have held that belief as well. I'm interested in how the commercial farming system will continue to evolve. I am hoping that once more studies are done on the matter that eventually the factory farms of today will be looked back on as a sort of "mistake" of history. Not sure that's going be plausible with the rising demand for animal products and the influence of the mega farms on policy making though :/
 
I think they will exist, but there is an ever growing population of people who are concerned about animal welfare and who are mindful of what they eat. The resurgent popularity of raising your own chickens is really proof of this, as is the existence of cage free eggs and also organic food in general, which is available at most supermarkets now. These are hopeful signs, to me.

It really all starts with us. Educating people and leading the way are important, but where we spend our money is just as important. I'm lucky to have a co-op in my community where I can buy free range, organic meats, and I hope someday that is an option for everyone. And I believe it can happen.
 
In the couple of years since running the experiments, were you able to emulate factory farm conditions? I'd be curious to see whether not only always-on lighting makes an impact, but what sort of impact mass-crowding has. Would the mass-crowding have the reverse effect (more competition for food, therefore more willing to peck the cottage cheese) or not? Would always on lighting impact appetite or promote it?

Good read and thank you for sharing!
Thank you! I have unfortunately not been able to. That would likely be very hard to recreate the mass crowding without significant grants or working with a preexisting factory farm. This sounds silly, but I personally would also struggle with conducting this just due to me having to take part in their suffering. I understand that it is needed for science and if got the opportunity I would, but I can't pretend it wouldn't be hard on me. When we ran the experiments we did each individual chicken at a time when seeing how much each would peck, it would have been interesting to see how the competition would effect the results! It seemed to me that as stress would increase, there would be more variation from their normal feeding habits. I would guess that after being subjected to changes in lighting that their habits would change, I can't really say in which direction though. :)
 
I think they will exist, but there is an ever growing population of people who are concerned about animal welfare and who are mindful of what they eat. The resurgent popularity of raising your own chickens is really proof of this, as is the existence of cage free eggs and also organic food in general, which is available at most supermarkets now. These are hopeful signs, to me.

It really all starts with us. Educating people and leading the way are important, but where we spend our money is just as important. I'm lucky to have a co-op in my community where I can buy free range, organic meats, and I hope someday that is an option for everyone. And I believe it can happen.
Yes for sure! It's the removal of the consumer from the means of production that's the root of these issues. I personally have gone vegetarian lately just to make sure I hold myself accountable for these issues. I know with myself I would always try and buy humanely-raised products but at some points due to convenience I would not always stick to it due to convenience (like at a restaurant who acquires meat from unlabeled sources). By giving myself this label it forces my accountability to stay away from these sources. This still doesn't account for the dairy and egg industry sadly, but it at least is lessening my support for the industry. Obviously this is not feasible for everyone nor am I saying it should be, but I completely agree on you about how you spend your money matters. It's great you have a local co-op! I would love to have one near me :)
 
Yes for sure! It's the removal of the consumer from the means of production that's the root of these issues. I personally have gone vegetarian lately just to make sure I hold myself accountable for these issues. I know with myself I would always try and buy humanely-raised products but at some points due to convenience I would not always stick to it due to convenience (like at a restaurant who acquires meat from unlabeled sources). By giving myself this label it forces my accountability to stay away from these sources. This still doesn't account for the dairy and egg industry sadly, but it at least is lessening my support for the industry. Obviously this is not feasible for everyone nor am I saying it should be, but I completely agree on you about how you spend your money matters. It's great you have a local co-op! I would love to have one near me :)
The co-op helps a lot, and there are several farmer's markets here, too, on the weekends. But just buying eggs from someone who has happy chickens makes a difference, or selling them. Supporting small, local farms is also important. If we all do what we can, even if we're not perfect with it, and even if it is small things, it has a collective impact.
 

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