GBFel

[deleted]

Do you think our national security is better or worse because of the Global War on Terror?

Read Sassaman's Warrior King to get another description of just how arrogant and disdainful Rumsfeld was of his subordinates, regardless of their superior experience.

What is the end goal of your organization? If it is healthier conditions for the birds in general then basically you're calling for the abolishment of these warehouse farms to the detriment of these farmers.

A lot of the problems you pointed out are with the Cornish Cross in general, and will be seen even when you raise them in your backyard, e.g. spraddle leg and 100% death from heart failure at about 9-12 weeks. The bigger problem I see is that those birds are kept jammed together in squalor, living on a bed of feces that burns the underside of the bird when it sleeps and opens the door to all sorts of disease including Avian Influenza. In fact, AI in particular is practically unheard of outside of these giant warehouse operations. Even if you go to the Freedom Ranger or another slower maturing cross, you're still going to see the deleterious health effects of living on manure at .25sf per bird. I get that the first step is awareness but some of us have known about this for years and years and nobody has offered a viable alternative at a cost that is palatable to the average consumer. So, what do you propose is the way ahead?

Thank you for answering, I figured I would get buried. I agree with you that the birds need to be respected but to be honest I don't see that happening in commercial operations anytime soon. Primarily that has to do with the living conditions of the warehouses. There is no litter, just poop. They let it build up over successive generations and then bring in skid loaders to scoop out multiple feet of poop. That much nitrogen burns the heck out of the underside of the bird, not to mention that the air in those things is invariably disgusting. Some use big fans to circulate with outside air but a lot of farms have turned those off due to fears of AI. Natural light? Even a lot of birds and eggs labeled as "free range,", which by definition means that they have free access to the outdoors, have just a tiny little patio attached to a big warehouse like this for them to run into, in theory.

Then you have the Cornish Cross. 6-8 weeks is standard for culling but guess what happens if you let them go; they asphixiate by about 12 weeks or suffer heart failure, or pass in some other way because their breasts get so big that they can't even breathe, let alone stand. Freedom Rangers go a bit slower but the increased feed costs mean that most consumers balk at the price of the final product.

I think that the big commercial operations need to completely change before chickens will be treated humanely. Open air, fresh fodder, lower densities, these things are not impossible. Polyface Farm is an example of someone doing just that at scale, but more I think that food production in general needs to be spread out and become local. If people had the ability to visit the place they get their food from, they would never tolerate the sort of conditions that you guys are publicizing. Pipe dream perhaps, but if you become resigned to the status quo you will never improve. Your ideas are a good first step, I hope you can get at least that far.

Thank you for your time and efforts publicizing the shitshow that is industrial ag. I appreciate it whenever I can find others that are just as appalled with the current state of things as I am. Good luck.