MEAT CHICKENS ARE THE MOST INTENSIVELY FARMED ANIMAL IN THE WORLD

Broiler chickens are the most widely intensively farmed food animal in the world today. They become the chickens of fast food outlets, burgers and barbeques. 40 billion are killed worldwide every year.

IN AUSTRALIA each year about 329 million birds are raised and killed between 6 and 8 weeks of age for human consumption. The vast majority are raised in crowded sheds with tens of thousands of other birds. Health and welfare problems are common place. The sale of raw chicken meat is one of the major causes of salmonella and other forms of food poisoning in human beings.

How are broilers reared?
A typical broiler chicken spends his life in a windowless shed with thousands of other birds. Today's chickens are slaughtered when their eyes are still blue and they 'cheep' - ie. they are chicks in an obese 'adult' body. In natural conditions, birds of this age would still be sheltering under their mothers' wings. Decades of selective breeding and the heavy use of growth promotants has resulted in this rapid growth rate, producing faster growing chickens for greater profits with no regard for animal welfare. Many broilers can no longer support their own body weight and most suffer from leg disorders. The crippled birds die from starvation and dehydration as they are unable to reach food and water points. Millions suffer from diseases brought on by the squalid conditions inside the factory farms.

The broiler shed
Each shed can house literally thousands of chickens: 20,000 in one shed is not uncommon. One day old chicks are put into the sheds and housed there until they are slaughtered 6 weeks later. Large numbers of birds being housed together makes them susceptible to heat stress. Heat stress causes suffering and death in birds, called by the industry "sudden death syndrome".

Most broilers are reared indoors without windows under dim artificial light. Many are kept in near-constant light because this is believed to increase feed intake. The lighting is kept dim because this discourages 'unnecessary activity', thus maximising growth. Scientific evidence shows that preventing broilers from having a proper night period adversely affects their welfare. Evidence shows that lack of sleep reduces an animal's ability to cope with stressful conditions. The low level of activity shown by broilers reared under dim lighting is likely to predispose them to leg disorders. Continuous lighting programs also cause eye abnormalities.

Problems with high stocking densities
Most producers stock at higher densities than those allowed for in the industry Code of Practice as this is not a legally binding document. In general, as stocking density increases management standards worsen. For example, regular inspection to monitor flock health and remove dead or injured birds is difficult without causing panic and more injury . Severe overcrowding leads to a build-up of infectious agents and serious welfare problems such as breast blisters, contact dermatitis and leg disorders.

Broiler chickens spend their entire lifetime without having their bedding changed. As a result of poor litter management, the ground inside the sheds quickly becomes soiled and wet. When on poor litter, broilers are susceptible to pododermatitis (foot-rot) and burnt hocks. Litter becomes wet due to air change rate; litter material and depth; stocking density and diet and health of the birds.

Mutilation
Any farm that feels that it must undertake mutilations of animals to prevent them injuring one another has very poor management systems.

Debeaking - When chicks are only a few days old, their beaks can be partially amputated, a section of the upper beak being cut off with a red-hot blade or with clippers. Beak trimming is painful and can result in permanent pain. Ex- farm and slaughterhouse worker in the UK, Colin Ryder says the following, "The correct hot knife was, in the time I was there, never used. Anything to hand was used for beak trimming. I have witnessed nail scissors, toe clippers etc being used. I have on occasion done this. I have seen chicks with blood spurting out of their beaks as they 'cheeped'. I have witnessed a couple of hundred birds subsequently die because of one member of staff cutting too much beak off." Toe cutting - The last joint of the inside toe of male breeding birds is sometimes removed. This can result in open wounds, blood loss and pain. This mutilation is performed to 'avoid injury to hens during mating'.

Because this industry is one of the worst in terms of intensive farming practices, the issues are numerous and complex.