Chickens are an animal that very few people care about. When carnivores rank their level of respect for the animals who die to feed them, I would say that chickens are worsted only by fish. They are viewed only as entities who have no purpose other than that of feeding us "higher" beings. Where chickens are not worsted by fish is in the way they are treated by us while they are alive.I am not making a plea here for anyone to Go Veggie. That's a very personal choice, and a difficult one, but one thing that IS easy to do is that if you buy eggs, buy Cage-Free (Free Range). Support the growing list of corporations, vendors, cafeterias, restaurants, and other organizations who have switched their preference or policy to Cage-Free.
And boycott Wendy's. Even Burger King has instituted a preference for cage-free eggs, beginning with a small percentage and increasing it to 100% over several more months. Wendy's, on the other hand, is trying to defend its caged policy by asserting that the 72 square inches it allows per hen is greater than the minimum requirement. 72 square inches: picture an 8x9 inch piece of paper, not even a full sheet. The cages create unspeakably cruel conditions that no living creature should be subjected to, especially by us "superior" humans who pride ourselves on our big brains, and our ability to reason and feel compassion. So use it. If you are unaware of the conditions in the battery cages, here's a short video to watch (only 2 minutes).
Tags: eggs - free range - chickens - cruelty
Hen and Eggs picture by Jessica Fries.
3 comments:
Can and will do. Thanks for this post.
The Free-Range, Cage-Free Myth:
http://www.peacefulprairie.org/freerange1.html
Anon, thanks for the link. I would like to add that I think all forms of animal farming, ranching and hunting (anything where animals are killed or tortured) to be repugnant. I don’t eat or wear animals, and I don’t buy furniture or household items made from them, including feathers. But I didn’t go overnight from being an omnivore who was completely oblivious and/or uncaring about where my food really came from to where I stand on things right now. One of the first steps I took was preferring cage-free eggs, then gave up eating pigs, then cows, then chickens, then fish, then eggs. It has taken years. We are both evolving vegans, in that we are still getting there. I am still working on the dairy products, but I am a work in progress, as are we all (please note: I am not saying it’s OK to consume dairy products).
It is important for people to know where their food comes from, how it started out, and how it ended up being your food. It is important to care. Become informed, and make up your mind, make a decision, form a goal, then another one and another. Do what you think is right, and resist being in denial. It’s tough. We are only human, after all, and by nature bound and determined to make a mess of things.
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