Born to suffer
Chickens are bred to grow unnaturally large and unnaturally quickly. Due to their overgrown size and speed, these chickens face terrible suffering such as:
- Painful lameness
- Overworked hearts and lungs
- Wounds including skin sores and burns
Overcrowded and unnatural
As farms become increasingly industrialized to meet the growing global demand for chicken meat, chickens are bred to grow up to three times as fast as traditional breeds in a short space of time. This comes at an enormous cost to the welfare of the birds.
An industrial chicken shed can hold tens of thousands of birds. At the end of their short lives, the birds are so densely packed that each animal can have less floor space than an A4 piece of paper. This extreme overcrowding makes it difficult for chickens to move or behave naturally, unable to peck or spread their wings.
Bare and bleak, with no natural light
Most industrial chicken sheds are bare except for lines of food and water dispensers. Chickens are unable to perform natural behaviours, such as perching, foraging, exploring and dust-bathing. These activities would normally keep them active and healthy. Without them. they can suffer both physically and psychologically.
Most factory-grown chickens spend their lives in closed sheds without natural light. This means they move less, which can lead to leg problems and even lameness.
You can read more about this in our report, 'Exposing the secret suffering of chickens farmed for meat'.
It's time for change
There is a better way. We want these birds to have a life worth living: that means more time to grow, more space to move, more natural lighting and more opportunities to behave like a chicken.