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435 million birds in factory farms are raised and killed for chicken flesh in Australia each year. Bred to grow at three times their natural rate, many are crippled under their own weight — 20 million die annually inside sheds. Those who survive are slaughtered when they are just five weeks old. |
The 'Code of Practice' has made it legal to pack tens of thousands of intelligent birds into broiler sheds at 20 birds per square metre.
Today's 'broiler chickens' (those raised for their meat) are packed by the tens of thousands into massive sheds at 20 birds per square metre. For the duration of their short five week lives, the shed they call home will not be cleaned, and will slowly accumulate with wet faeces that can painfully burn the breasts and feet of those birds trapped inside.
Crippled as Chicks
Rapid and unnatural growth takes a significant toll on many birds. Their hearts and immature skeletons are placed under enormous pressure. As their bodies grow larger, walking—and even standing—may become difficult due to lameness or dislocated joints. Some birds will die from heart failure. It is factored into the economics of factory farming that under these intense conditions and every year around 20 million birds die[1] before they are five weeks old because of illness; from being trampled; and from starvation or thirst through being unable to reach food or water due to lameness.
Death at Just 35 Days
Those birds who reach the age of 35 days will face the terror of being sent to slaughter. ‘Catchers’ enter the shed and proceed to catch 300 - 500 birds per hour and load trucks as quickly as possible. Each bird is grabbed by one fragile limb and hung helplessly with up to five other birds in the fist of a ‘catcher’ before being forcibly stuffed into a transport crate along with other birds.
The broiler chicken's first glimpse of the outside world will be as she is trucked for slaughter. Her last glimpse of the world will be hanging upside down with her feet shackled in metal stirrups attached to a moving conveyor belt. Her head will be drawn through an electrified water bath to stun her unconscious before an automatic knife cuts her throat. Some birds are not so ‘lucky’. Those who raise their heads and miss the electrified water bath face the throat cutting machine fully conscious.
The Solution
The hope for a better life for Betty and other broiler chickens lies with each of us. The meat industry will continue to confine birds in factory farms so long as the public remains ignorant to the suffering involved in raising and killing birds for meat. The choice is ours. Take action, and Free Betty!
References
[1] 4% mortality rate; Australian Chicken Meat Federation