Hens and chicks

When chicks crawl out of their eggs in the hatchery, they are moved to a laying or fattening farm, depending on their race and sex. The young cocks are 'worthless' and are killed with carbon dioxide in a plastic bag or they are shredded. The chicks that go to the battery will live in a shed with long rows of cages made of wire mesh, with three or more storeys on top of each other. The animals live in small cages, 4 chickens are crammed together; the cages have a dimension of 45x50cm (like a large computer monitor). They lay their eggs on the wire mesh and cannot spread their wings. As a result of this distressing situation they peck at each other. That's why their beaks are burnt (without anaesthesia). The chickens don't have a roost to sleep on and a disrupted day/night rhythm is forced on them, to have them lay as many eggs as possible.

Battery hens live for about one year, then they have laid approximately 300 eggs and the only purpose left for them is to serve in the chicken soup. Fattening chicks live for about 6 weeks, then they are slaughtered. In this short period of time they grow extremely fast from chick to half grown chicken on behalf of special food. Would they live any longer under these circumstances, they would grow way too heavy and literally grow to death.


When they have to be transported to the slaughterhouse they are violently pressed in crates, with a big chance of wing and foot fractures. Under these stressful circumstances they are transported on (half-open) trucks to the slaughterhouse. To prevent the chickens from getting more fractures and bleedings, many poultry slaughterhouses use a lower electric voltage for stunning the chicks than is legally compelled. The meat of these chicks is sold as chicken meat, which stands for deception and cruelty.