Posted on 01/01/2015 10:28:11 AM PST by PROCON
WATERBOARD THE CHICKENS! Brand them with fire! Put needles in their eyes!
Makes for much tastier eggs.
Yet, there are millions of farm animals that are poorly treated. Even the egg industry came to realize that they had pushed their standards too low. When such standards are allowed and practiced, other farmers struggle to compete without doing the same.
Pssst—you’re not supposed to do that to them until after they’ve been humanely butchered.
Careful, you may give liberals another idea for another nanny state law. All chickens must have equal access to sex!
People can be so sentimental about food animals.
If I want fried chicken for dinner, I should be allowed to cut off the pieces I want, and leave the rest of the chicken for later. I shouldn’t have to invest in a freezer to store the remainder of the meat, just to save the chicken from suffering.
If I want a filet mignon, I should be allowed to cut one off of my cow, and let the rest of the cow walk around waiting until I’m ready to consume it. Putting an animal’s well being ahead of my own gluttony is just wrong.
/s
I understand enough to know that people who have no standards of decency are dead men walking.
:)
The chickens do not have their beaks cut off. De-beaking is cutting the tip off of the top beak so they can’t peck the h*** out of the other chickens. Chickens are cannibalistic even under ideal conditions. If one chicken gets a small wound or scratch the others are likely to peck it to death. Let’s be realistic people. As nice as it might be, we are not going to be able to feed our population with pastoral scenes from the past. Animals should be treated humanely but realistically.
***until after they’ve been humanely butchered.***
Humane butchering...
Hold them off the feed that day, then grab them by the head and act like you are cranking an old car! The chicken will separate from it’s head and then proceed to thrash around.
That is where we get the term “wring a neck” and “Run around like a chicken with it’s head cut off!”
Then take the chicken and dip it in very hot but not boiling water to cause the feathers to loosen. Then pluck and singe off the hair. Yes, a chicken will have a few hairs on it.
Wringing a neck this way causes the skin to break at the base of the skull and gives you a nice area to grab while plucking feathers.
The other way is to grab the chicken by the feet, lay a bar or branch across the neck, step on the branch and pull upward. This causes the neck skin to separate at the shoulder line and leaves a skinless neck to get all dirty when the chicken again runs around with it’s head cut off.
ONE THING is always guaranteed. IF there is a manure pile anywhere on the property, the headless chicken will find it and give up it’s last death throes on it, getting everything dirty and making cleanup messier.
For an old hen, you must use an axe as they are too tough to wring a neck.
Then cut up the chicken with a sharp knife.
And you will stink for several days like you have been killing chickens.
I totally agree. I've eaten cage-free eggs for years, and recently, after they became easily available, I switched to free range eggs. I loathe the knee-jerk idea that being a conservative means you're supposed to turn a blind eye to animal cruelty.
If California activists are requiring a more expensive custom production process for its eggs, why can’t the other states can likewise demand that their eggs are produced under the more economical traditional process?
The best eggs come from the body of a dead chicken you are cutting up for food! You will find all sorts of them, Hard shelled, soft shelled, unshelled, yokes only.
No wonder the predators love laying hens! ;-D
Who made you the authority on what is or what is not animal cruelty?
Please, enlighten me as to your definition.
All laying hens in enriched cages must have at least 750 cm2 of cage area per hen, 600 cm2 of which shall be usable; the height of the cage other than that above the usable area shall be at least 20 cm at every point and the minimum total area for any cage shall be 2000 cm2. The laying hens must also have access to a nest, litter area so that pecking and scratching are possible and perches allowing at least 15 cm per hen.
The nest area must provide a quiet and separate area for birds to lay their eggs without being disturbed. It consists of both “separation” (i.e. the sides, curtains etc) and the flooring (i.e. the material preventing contact with the wire mesh). If either element is deficient the nest area cannot to be “fit-for-purpose”. It is important that the nest area meets the behavioural needs of the birds for quiet and separation so that they can lay their eggs without being disturbed. There should be at least 65 cm2 of nest space per hen. Perches must have an appropriate top surface width that allows the birds claws to grip below, although not necessarily fully lock around the perch. An acceptable width is between 3 and 5 cm. The perch should have no sharp edges and provide at least 15 cm per hen. It should be designed and constructed to avoid damage to the feet. Perches should be positioned to reduce the potential for fouling of any hens perched below and droppings falling into drinking and feeding facilities. Perch placement within cages should not restrict birds’ ability to exhibit natural behaviours such as wing-flapping and leg stretching and there should be at least 20 cm headroom (height) above the perch.
If there is evidence that claws of hens are found to be overgrown or broken then the provision of claw shortening devices should be enhanced. Excessively abrasive devices may cause injury so caution should be exercised in specifying such devices.
To facilitate inspection, installation and depopulation of hens there must be a minimum aisle width of 90 cm between tiers of cages and a space of at least 35 cm must be allowed between the floor of the building and the bottom tier of cages. The aisle width should be measured as the unobstructed width between outer edges of the feed troughs. The distance to the floor should be measured to the mesh base of the cage.
In enriched cages, the litter provision may be met by distributing food on to “scratch” mats at regular intervals throughout the day. The size of mats and frequency of food distribution should reflect the number of birds in each cage and should provide an adequate opportunity for all hens to exhibit natural scratch and peck behaviours on a regular and reasonable basis.
Legislative Requirements
Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 states at:
Regulation 4, paragraph 1 - A person responsible for (a) poultry (other than those kept in the systems referred to in Schedules 2 and 3) kept in a building, shall ensure they are kept on or have access at all times to well-maintained litter or a well drained area for resting;
Schedule 3, paragraph 2 - Laying hens shall have: (a) at least 750 cm2 of cage area per hen, 600 cm2 of which shall be usable; the height of the cage other than that above the usable area shall be at least 20 cm at every point and the minimum total area for any cage shall be 2000 cm2 ; (b) access to a nest; (c) litter such that pecking and scratching are possible; and (d) appropriate perches allowing at least 15 cm per hen.
Schedule 3, paragraph 3 - A feed trough which can be used without restriction shall be provided. Its length shall be at least 12 cm multiplied by the number of hens in the cage.
Schedule 3, paragraph 4 - Each cage shall have a drinking system appropriate to the size of the group; where nipple drinkers are provided, at least two nipple drinkers or two cups shall be within the reach of each hen.
Interesting. I never heard this allegation before. Can you provide stats, or a link?
Thanks in advance.
***The chickens do not have their beaks cut off***
This is true. Debeaking is used to prevent other chickens from cannibalizing each other. That is why I have a small flock of Rhode Island reds. They do not peck each other as white Leghorns do.
I have debeaked thousands of chicks.
To debeak a baby chick, grab the chink in your right hand, thumb on the back of the head, index finger under the throat, Slightly push with your thumb and pull down with the index finger, this causes the chick to open it’s beak.
Press the upper beak against a red hot plate melting about 1/16 to 3/32 of an inch off the top of the beak. Total time, less than 1 second per bird, from grabbing it till you drop it in it’s box.
The chick will jump up, scratch at it’s beak for a second, then forget about it and go on with the other chicks.
So you are in favor of animal cruelty because you can quibble about its definition?
I actually like genuinely healthful raw milk (and grew up on it).
Yes, in fact, I'm all for animal TORTURE...better yet WATERBOARD the chickens!
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