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This article provides information about chickens that should prove useful to those advocating for animal rights, as well as to those exploring the rationale for veganism.   

It covers various aspects of farmed chickens in the context of animal rights, including injustices and suffering, humane labels and certifications, chicken sentience and cognition, the environmental consequences of farming chickens, the health risks of chicken meat and eggs, and impacts to workers.   

Read it through or use the table of contents to go directly to your section of interest.

== General Information  ==

=== Heritage ===
It's commonly thought that the domesticated chickens used for meat and eggs are primarily descended from the red jungle fowl of Southeast Asia. More recent research paints a more complex picture—birds from India, Cambodia, Ceylon, and other areas may also be involved in the lineage.<ref>Smith, Page, and Charles Daniel. The Chicken Book. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2000, 11-13.</ref>

Chickens were used widely in Southeast Asia, India, and Tibet and were a common fixture in ancient Greece. Their exploitation in the West spread from Greece to Rome and then on to Europe and the Americas.<ref name="smithbook">ibid.,16-30.</ref>

=== Numbers ===

Globally, over 76 billion chickens are slaughtered annually for meat, and another 11 billion laying hens are slaughtered when their female reproductive systems are used up and they are no longer profitable.<ref name=":0">Derived from United Nations FAO statistics for 2017: “FAOSTAT.” Accessed June 10, 2019. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL</ref> In the United States alone, the figures are 9 billion and 375 million.<ref name=":0" /> Far more chickens are slaughtered than any other farmed animal.<ref name=":0" />

A PEW report points out that "in just over 50 years, the number of chickens produced annually in the United States has increased by more than 1,400% while the number of farms producing those birds has dropped by 98%."<ref>“Big Chicken: Pollution and Industrial Poultry Production in America.” Accessed July 6, 2019. <nowiki>http://pew.org/2yIxE4p</nowiki>.</ref><!-- I couldn't find this quote in the linked report. --> 

The Sentience Institute used USDA and FDA data to estimate that 98 percent of chickens in the United States are raised in factory farming conditions.<ref name=":4">Institute, Sentience. “US Factory Farming Estimates.” Sentience Institute, April 11, 2019. <nowiki>http://www.sentienceinstitute.org/us-factory-farming-estimates</nowiki>.</ref> It seems tenable that the percentage is similar in other industrialized nations.

== Injustices and Suffering ==

The injustices inherent in exploiting chickens and other non-human animals stem from seeing them as having only instrumental value, lacking any inherent worth apart from their usefulness to humans. 

As Tom Regan put it, the animals we use "have a life of their own that is of importance to them, apart from their utility to us. They are not only in the world, they are aware of it and also of what happens to them. And what happens to them matters to them. Each has a life that fares experientially better or worse for the one whose life it is."<ref>[[Archive:Tom Regan Speech at the Royal Institute of Great Britain in 1989]]</ref>

As shown in the section on sentience and cognition, chickens not only have a will to live and value their lives, just as humans do, but also have desires, preferences, emotions, families, social communities, natural behaviors, a sense of themselves, and a sense of the future.

The injustices discussed below—all arising from a failure to recognize the inherent worth of other sentient beings—are either standard practice or not unusual. And, as shown in the section below on humane labels and certifications, this is true even for those chicken products with a humane label or certification. To omit a significant number of these injustices would likely increase costs to the point of rendering chicken meat and eggs unaffordable by all but the most affluent.

=== Loss of Life ===

We have no nutritional need for chicken meat or eggs, so denying chickens their lives is unnecessary, as are the other forms of suffering enumerated here.<ref>[[In reply to: We need animal products to be healthy]]</ref>

Not only are we taking their lives—we are doing so after allowing them to live only a small fraction of their natural eight-year life span. Chickens used for meat are slaughtered at six weeks, which is about one percent of their life span. Chickens used for eggs are slaughtered when their female reproductive systems are used up and they are no longer profitable—at 18 months, which is 20 percent of their natural life span.<ref>“Overview - Facts - Aussie Abattoirs | Slaughterhouses, Killing Animals for Human Consumption.” Accessed June 12, 2019. <nowiki>https://www.aussieabattoirs.com/facts</nowiki>.</ref>

To take the life of any sentient being is to harm that being by depriving them of opportunities for fulfillment, even if it is done suddenly and painlessly (which it is not, as explained below).

=== Slaughter ===

Several methods of killing chickens are used, including manual throat slitting, neck breaking, decapitation, and gassing, all of which are painful.

In the United States, where there are no federal regulations for chicken welfare, the industry claims that 99 percent of the birds are "totally unconscious" after an electrical stun, which is administered in some facilities just prior to slaughter.<ref>“National Chicken Council Brief on Stunning of Chickens.” The National Chicken Council (blog), February 8, 2013. https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/national-chicken-council-brief-on-stunning-of-chickens/.</ref> However, research shows that the industry uses low-voltage stuns in order to avoid damage that might render the carcass unsellable. The low voltage stuns are not effective, which results in many (if not most) chickens being alive and fully conscious when their throat is slit, and many remain alive as they enter the scalding tank.<ref>Shields, Sara J., and A. B. M. Raj. “A Critical Review of Electrical Water-Bath Stun Systems for Poultry Slaughter and Recent Developments in Alternative Technologies.” ''Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science''13, no. 4 (September 17, 2010): 281–99. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2010.507119</nowiki>.</ref><ref>Pitney, Nico. “Scientists Believe The Chickens We Eat Are Being Slaughtered While Conscious.” HuffPost, 24:58 400AD. <nowiki>https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chickens-slaughtered-conscious_n_580e3d35e4b000d0b157bf98</nowiki>.</ref><ref name=":1">“Welfare at Slaughter of Broiler Chickens: A Review.” Accessed June 12, 2019. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2008.1.5</nowiki>.</ref>

=== Mass Extermination of Male Hatchlings (Culling) ===
Because laying hens are bred specifically to lay eggs, males hatched from laying hens are not profitable—they don't yield sufficient meat, and they can't lay eggs. And because they are not profitable, the males are ground alive in a macerator, gassed, or suffocated—all shortly after they hatch.<ref>Aerts, S., and J. De Tavernier. “11. Killing Animals as a Matter of Collateral Damage.” In The End of Animal Life: A Start for Ethical Debate, 167–86. Wageningen Academic Publishers, 2015. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-808-7_11.
</ref> This industry refers to this practice as ''chick culling.'' (Weak and struggling females are also discarded in this manner.)<ref>“What Happens with Male Chicks in the Egg Industry? – RSPCA Knowledgebase.” Accessed June 10, 2019. https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-happens-with-male-chicks-in-the-egg-industry/</ref>

Hatchlings are about 50 percent male and 50 percent female. So statistically speaking, every laying hen has a brother who has been violently slaughtered. This is true even for backyard chickens, as the female hatchlings are sold not only to commercial producers but also to individuals keeping backyard chickens.

In the United States, over 375 million male chicks are slaughtered annually via culling. Worldwide, it's in the billions.<ref>Estimated from 2017 data: “FAOSTAT.” Accessed June 10, 2019. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL.</ref>

{{jfa-expand | Extra: Lack of progress on the elimination of culling}}
In June 2016, United Egg Producers (UEP), who claim to be responsible for 95 percent of egg production in the United States, issued a vague statement about supporting research to end this practice.<ref>“United Egg Producers Statement on Eliminating Male Chick Culling.” UEP Certified (blog), June 10, 2016. https://uepcertified.com/united-egg-producers-statement-eliminating-male-chick-culling/.
</ref>

Following negotiations with the Humane League in 2016, Humane League executive director David Coman-Hidy stated that the UEP commitment "will virtually eliminate this practice in the American egg industry. … It is clear that chick culling will soon be a thing of the past in the United States."<ref>https://www.huffpost.com/entry/egg-producers-killing-male-chicks-stop_n_575b0adde4b00f97fba8406f</ref>
 
This was reported by the Human League and in the press as if it were a sure thing and an absolute commitment, but the UEP statement referenced above only says that "we encourage the development of an alternative with the goal of eliminating the culling of day-old male chicks by 2020 or as soon as it is commercially available and economically feasible."

As of December 2018, only one grocery store chain in Germany is selling eggs from hatcheries where males have not been slaughtered.<ref>Daley, Jason. “A German Grocery Chain Is Selling First-Of-Its-Kind ‘No-Kill’ Eggs.” Smithsonian. Accessed June 10, 2019. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-no-kill-eggs-are-now-available-berlin-supermarkets-180971117/</ref> At the time this was written, we found no reports on the elimination of culling elsewhere, including the United States.

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=== Overcrowding and Confinement ===
Extreme crowding is the reality for the 98 percent of chickens living in factory farming conditions, regardless of whether they are in battery cages.<ref name=":4" />

While hens in battery cages spend their lives confined to a space smaller than the size of a standard sheet of paper,<ref>Friedrich, Bruce, ContributorExecutive Director, and The Good Food Institute. “The Cruelest of All Factory Farm Products: Eggs From Caged Hens.” HuffPost, 13:29 500. <nowiki>https://www.huffpost.com/entry/eggs-from-caged-hens_b_2458525</nowiki>.</ref> chickens in commercial chicken houses don't fare much better. While they may not be confined to a cage, they are still entrapped by the mass of other chickens surrounding them. 

{{Jfa-expand | Extra: Battery cage legislation}}

Despite failed and weak legislation at the federal and state levels,<ref>“A Decade Later, Another ‘Cage-Free’ Measure Is on the California Ballot.” Civil Eats, October 25, 2018. https://civileats.com/2018/10/25/a-decade-later-another-cage-free-measure-is-on-the-california-ballot/.
</ref> and despite the trend for producers and grocers to promise to go cage-free,<ref>“Cage-Free Commitments.” Accessed June 10, 2019. https://welfarecommitments.com/cage-free/.
</ref> as of 2014 over 95 percent of eggs involved battery cages.<ref>“United Egg Producers Statement on Eliminating Male Chick Culling.” UEP Certified (blog), June 10, 2016. https://uepcertified.com/united-egg-producers-statement-eliminating-male-chick-culling/.
</ref> There is little evidence that the situation has materially improved since. 

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The egregious ramifications of this crowding are discussed below. 

==== Denial of Natural Behaviors ====
Crowding prevents or hinders chickens' ability to engage in their natural behaviors of preening, roosting, perching, spreading their wings, establishing a social order, pecking and scratching for food, and teaching their young to peck and scratch for food.<ref>Prescott, N.B. and Wathes, C.M., (2002). Preference and motivation of laying hens to eat under different illuminances and the effect of illuminance on eating behavior.  ''British Poultry Science'', '''43''': 190-195</ref> The denial of these behaviors due to living in such close quarters results not only in discomfort but also the constant psychological stress of fear and anxiety.<ref>Eugen, Kaya von, Rebecca E. Nordquist, Elly Zeinstra, and Franz Josef van der Staay. “Stocking Density Affects Stress and Anxious Behavior in the Laying Hen Chick During Rearing.” ''Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI''9, no. 2 (February 10, 2019). <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9020053</nowiki>.</ref><ref>Appleby, M.C. “What Causes Crowding? Effects of Space, Facilities and Group Size on Behavior, with Particular Reference to Furnished Cages for Hens.” ''Animal Welfare''13 (August 1, 2004): 313–20.</ref><ref>Marino, Lori. “Thinking Chickens: A Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior in the Domestic Chicken.” ''Animal Cognition''20, no. 2 (2017): 127–47. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4</nowiki>.</ref>

====Filth and Stench ====
The ammonia-laden air in the chicken houses is so noxious that the birds commonly suffer respiratory disorders, severe flesh and eye burns, and even blindness.<ref>“Ammonia Toxicity in Chickens.” PoultryDVM. Accessed October 25, 2018. http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/ammonia-burn </ref>

Numerous videos and investigations document the filth and stench of urine, feces, feathers, and dander in chicken facilities. They show birds covered in feces and so weak that they cannot clean themselves. Some are stuck in manure so deep it could be described as a manure pit.<ref name=":3">Direct Action Everywhere. Truth Matters: DxE Investigators Expose “Humane” Fraud at Whole Foods. Accessed April 2, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU4PJCuslD0 </ref><ref name=":2">“Chicken Videos Living Condiitons - Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=chicken+videos+living+condiitons</ref>

==== Sickness and Disease ====
Numerous undercover videos show that sickness and disease are common. Some chickens are so sick you can hear them struggling to breathe. Some hens don't have the strength to stand on their own two legs. Some are barely able to move or respond to anything around them. Birds are found dead, dying, and emaciated.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> Research and reports bear this out.<ref>Adams, A. W., and J. V. Craig. “Effect of Crowding and Cage Shape on Productivity and Profitability of Caged Layers: A Survey.” Poultry Science 64, no. 2 (February 1, 1985): 238–42. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0640238.</ref><ref>Lawrence, Felicity. “If Consumers Knew How Farmed Chickens Were Raised, They Might Never Eat Their Meat Again.” The Observer, April 24, 2016, sec. Environment. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/24/real-cost-of-roast-chicken-animal-welfare-farms.
</ref><ref>“Diseases of Poultry | Mississippi State University Extension Service.” Accessed June 18, 2019. http://extension.msstate.edu/agriculture/livestock/poultry/diseases-poultry.</ref>

=== Debilitating Selective Breeding ===

A laying hen produces more than 300 eggs a year, but the jungle fowl from which they are bred lay fewer than 10 eggs in a year. This causes both physical and physiological stress.<ref>Cheng, H.-W. “Breeding of Tomorrow’s Chickens to Improve Well-Being.” Poultry Science 89, no. 4 (April 1, 2010): 805–13. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.2009-00361 </ref> The large increase in the number of eggs laid is from a combination of selective breeding and hens' tendency to lay more eggs when eggs are removed so they can follow their instinct to form a proper brood.<ref>Rutherford-Fortunati, Rutherford-Fortunati on. “Do Chickens Mourn the Loss of Their Eggs?,” June 29, 2012. http://gentleworld.org/a-chickens-relationship-with-her-eggs/ </ref>

Laying hens are also bred to lay large eggs for which they have not evolved, which stresses their reproductive system and causes such problems as osteoporosis, bone breakage, and uterus prolapse.<ref>Jamieson, Alastair. “Large Eggs Cause Pain and Stress to Hens, Shoppers Are Told,” March 11, 2009, sec. Finance. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/4971966/Large-eggs-cause-pain-and-stress-to-hens-shoppers-are-told.html </ref>

The modern broiler chicken is unnaturally large and has been bred to grow at an unnaturally fast rate and have large breasts. This selective breeding comes with serious welfare consequences, including leg disorders, skeletal, developmental and degenerative diseases, heart and lung problems, breathing difficulty, and premature death.<ref>Stevenson, Peter. “Leg and Heart Problems in Broiler Chickens.” Compassion in World Farming, January 2003. https://www.ciwf.org.uk/media/3818898/leg-and-heart-problems-in-broilers-for-judicial-review.pdf </ref>

=== Debeaking ===

Debeaking is painful, causes lasting suffering, impairs feeding, eliminates exploratory pecking, and contributes to lice from impaired preening.<ref>“Welfare Implications of Beak Trimming.” American Veterinary Medical Association, February 7, 2010. https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/LiteratureReviews/Pages/beak-trimming-bgnd.aspx </ref>

=== Rough Handling and Transport ===

When chickens raised for meat reach their desired slaughter weight, they are caught, crated, transported, unloaded, and placed in holding pens until slaughter.

A review of videos of these activities shows squawking birds being grabbed four at a time by their feet and roughly thrown or shoved into crowded crates, birds suffering dislocations and broken bones, wings and heads crushed in crates, birds dying from suffocation, hot and cold conditions, and birds unable to stand from exhaustion.<ref>“Chicken Loading and Transportation - Google Search.” Accessed June 12, 2019. <nowiki>https://www.google.com/search?q=chicken+loading+and+transportation</nowiki></ref><ref>“Chickens Suffer during Catching, Loading, and Transport.” Accessed June 12, 2019. <nowiki>https://www.helpthechickens.ca/transport.php</nowiki>.</ref>

Research bears this out—a 2016 study in Poultry Science reveals that in addition to the physiological stress these procedures inflict, it is not unusual for a bird to experience dehydration, disease, injury, pain, and even death. The injuries include wing and leg fractures, lesions, bleeding, bruising.<ref>Jacobs, Leonie, Evelyne Delezie, Luc Duchateau, Klara Goethals, and Frank A. M. Tuyttens. “Impact of the Separate Pre-Slaughter Stages on Broiler Chicken Welfare.” ''Poultry Science''96, no. 2 (February 1, 2017): 266–73. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.3382/ps/pew361</nowiki>.</ref>

== Humane Labels and Certifications ==

Investigations by Consumer Reports and the Open Philanthropy Project reveal that these certifications and labels are largely meaningless, as shown below. These investigations show that the standards are weak and unenforced, audits and inspections are rarely done, and if they are done and violations are found, which is infrequent, no one gets fined.<ref>Consumer Reports  “Labels.” Greener Choices (blog). Accessed July 6, 2019. http://greenerchoices.org/labels/</ref><ref>Global Animal Partnership.” Open Philanthropy Project, March 26, 2016. https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-general-support</ref>

{{jfa-expand | Extra: Suggested script for discussing humane labels and certifications}}

When discussing humane labels and certifications, in addition to providing some of the details presented in this section, conveying the ideas presented in the following script might be useful:

Many believe that we are not harming animals when we use them for food as long as we treat them well while they are living. The justification given for this view is that animals don't have a sense of the future, and thus don’t have an interest in continuing to live. However, current research in cognitive ethology and neurobiology [as shown below], says otherwise.

But if one holds this belief in spite of the science, and wants to live by their own values, they might, with good intentions, decide to buy only animal products that have some sort of humane label or certification. However, investigations by Consumer Research, The Open Philanthropy Project, and numerous others reveal that these certifications and labels are largely meaningless.

These investigations show that the standards are weak and unenforced, audits and inspections are rarely done, and if they are done and violations are found, which is infrequent, no one gets fined.

So even if you buy into the idea that it’s OK to eat animal products as long as the animals are treated well, there is virtually no chance that the animals have, in fact, been treated well, regardless of what label is on the package. While certain labels may represent less suffering for some of the abuses, other abuses remain. The mitigation of some of the cruelties does not justify the remaining ones.

Humane labels and certifications are, for the most part, marketing ploys. They are designed to assuage our guilt, and they can engender higher profits because the industry knows that concerned, kindhearted consumers are willing to pay more for products they perceive to be humanely produced.

The life of any farmed animal can only be described as one of commodified, abusive servitude ending in brutal slaughter. When viewed objectively, free from the fog of our cultural norms, their treatment and slaughter, by any standard of fairness and justice—cannot be considered humane.

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=== Cage-Free ===

Consumer Reports advises you to “ignore cage-free claims” for chickens.<ref>“A ‘Cage-Free’ Claim: Does It Add Value?” Greener Choices |Consumer Reports, March 5, 2018 http://greenerchoices.org/2018/03/05/cage-free-add-value/ </ref> ''Cage-free'' does not mean the chickens had access to the outdoors. It only means the chickens were not confined to a cage.<ref name="cage-free">What Does ‘Cage Free’ Mean?” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, February 6, 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/02/06/cage-free-mean/ </ref>

Cage-free chickens, like free-range chickens, may be confined not by a cage but by crowding so extreme that turning around and engaging in the natural behaviors of preening, nesting, foraging, dust bathing, and perching is difficult or impossible. Such extreme crowding in large metal warehouses is the norm.<ref>Ibid.</ref><ref>Dan Flynn, “Cage-Free Hens Don’t Improve Egg Food Safety, Nutrition Levels,” Food Safety News, March 1, 2017, http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2017/03/cage-free-hens-dont-improve-egg-food-safety-nutrition-levels/ </ref>

=== Free Range ===

The USDA standard for ''free-range'' requires only that chickens are given some access to the outdoors. There are no stipulations for the size or quality of the outdoor space, and there is no requirement that the chickens actually spend time outdoors.<ref>“FSIS.” Food Safety Inspection Service, USDA, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms</ref> Also, the claim does not have to be verified through inspections.<ref name="free-range">“What Does ‘Free Range’ Mean?” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, April 25, 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/04/25/free-range/ </ref>

So it's not surprising that investigations by Consumer Reports (and others) reveal that most chickens labeled ''free-range'' spend their lives confined inside a crowded chicken house. The free-range space itself may be nothing more than an enclosed concrete slab that the chickens never use. These individuals lack the room even to turn around, much less engage in their natural behaviors of preening, nesting, foraging, dust bathing, and perching.<ref name="free-range" /> This has led Consumer Reports to say that ''free-range'' is one of the most potentially misleading labels because of the discrepancy between what it implies and what is required to make the claim."<ref name="free-range" />

Only one percent of eggs are from free-range hens that have the option to go outdoors, but like the other 99 percent, even those hens have likely never actually been outdoors.<ref>“A Hen’s Space to Roost.” New York Times, August 15, 2010. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/weekinreview/20100815-chicken-cages.pdf</ref>

Jonathan Foer, in his well-researched and fact-checked book<ref>Yonan, Joe. “Book Review: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer,” November 22, 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112001684.html</ref> ''Eating Animals,'' sums it up well in saying that "the free-range label is bullshit" and "should provide no more peace of mind than 'all-natural,' 'fresh,' or 'magical.'"<ref>Foer, Jonathan Safran. Eating Animals. Little, Brown, 2009, 102 “A ‘Cage-Free’ Claim: Does It Add Value?” Greener Choices |Consumer Reports, March 5, 2018</ref>

=== Whole Foods Market (GAP) ===

Whole Foods Market spearheaded the development of the Global Animal Partnership (GAP) certification program and sells various products, including eggs and chicken meat, with GAP labels.

The Open Philanthropy Project criticized GAP for having weak enforcement and for providing only slight improvements over standard factory farming conditions.<ref>“Global Animal Partnership.” Open Philanthropy Project, March 26, 2016.  href="https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-general-support">https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-general-support </ref> For example, according to Consumer Reports, "standards for slaughter do not exist at any level for chickens and there is no limit on their rate of growth."<ref>“Global Animal Partnership Step 5+.” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, May 23, 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/05/23/global-animal-partnership-step-5/</ref>
===Organic ===
Some have the perception that chickens with the ''organic'' label mean they are humanely raised, but that is not the case. Organic farmers are free to treat their animals no better than non-organic farmers. This is because the USDA, which controls the ''organic'' label in the United States, ruled that the label does not allow "broadly prescriptive, stand-alone animal welfare regulations."<ref>Whoriskey, Peter. “Should ‘USDA Organic’ Animals Be Treated More Humanely? The Trump Administration Just Said No.” Washington Post, December 15, 2017. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/15/should-usda-organic-animals-be-treated-more-humanely-the-trump-administration-just-said-no/</ref>

Consumer Reports informs us that while there are organic standards relating to animals, they lack clarity and precision, letting producers with poor standards sell poultry and eggs.<ref>“Do You Care about Animal Welfare on Organic Farms?” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, February 6, 2018. http://greenerchoices.org/2018/02/06/care-animal-welfare-organic-farms/</ref>
===United Egg Producers Certified===
Consumer Reports says that while the label is verified, "it is not meaningful as an animal welfare label because certain basic conditions, such as the freedom to move, are not required."<ref>“United Egg Producers Certified.” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, March 23, 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/03/23/united-egg-producers-certified/</ref>{{jfa-expand | Details: Freedom to Move }}

According to Consumer Reports, "the UEP Certified guidelines allow continuous confinement in crowded cages in dimly lit buildings without natural light and fresh air. Hens only have to be given enough space to stand upright, with a minimum space requirement of 8 by 8 inches for white laying hens kept in a cage. Producers keeping their hens in cages do not have to allow the hens to move freely, perch, dust bathe, or forage, and nest boxes are not required. While the label is verified, it is not meaningful as an animal welfare label because certain basic conditions, such as the freedom to move, are not required."<ref>“United Egg Producers Certified.” Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, March 23, 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/03/23/united-egg-producers-certified/ </ref>

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===American Humane Certified ===
According to Consumer Reports, "the requirements fall short in meeting consumer expectations for a 'humane' label in many ways."<ref>“American Humane Certified.” Consumer Reports—Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, January 11, 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/01/11/american-humane-certified/</ref>
===Animal Welfare Approved ===
This is the only certification that Consumer Reports says has strong standards, yet the standards still allow for mutilations<ref>“Animal Welfare Approved.” Greener Choices |Consumer Reports, November 16, 2016. http://greenerchoices.org/2016/11/16/awa-label-review/</ref> and other injustices. Also, products with this label are challenging to find. A search using their own product finder reveals that it's unlikely you will find any products with this label at a grocery store near you.<ref>“Find Products.” A Greener World. Accessed October 4, 2018. https://agreenerworld.org/shop-agw/product-search/</ref>
===Certified Humane Raised and Handled===
Consumer Reports says that "we do not rate Certified Humane as a highly meaningful label for animal welfare, because the standards do not have certain requirements that a majority of consumers expect from a 'humanely raised' label, such as access to the outdoors."<ref>“Certified Humane Raised and Handled.” Consumer Reports—Greener Choices | Consumer Reports, January 30, 2017. http://greenerchoices.org/2017/01/30/certified-humane/</ref>
===Backyard Chickens ===
Although backyard chickens are not associated with a certification or label like the others that we are covering here, they deserve a closer look. A considerable number of people regard the practice of keeping chickens in the backyard for food as innocuous.

Baby chicks often die in transport. A quick search will find numerous reports of chicks being shipped alive to backyard hobbyists and dying in transport—and reports of those that make it being greatly stressed.

Backyard chickens are the same or similar varieties as commercial chickens and are subject to all of the abuses that result from culling and selective breeding, as discussed above.

Backyard hens are likely to be slaughtered when egg production wanes, preventing them from living out their natural lives. As one hobbyist euphemistically put it, "when the expenses outweigh the value, then changes have to be made."<ref>“At What Age Do You Kill a Laying Hen?” BackYard Chickens. Accessed November 2, 2018. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/at-what-age-do-you-kill-a-laying-hen.837302/</ref>

The slaughter of backyard chickens, whether laying hens or broiler chickens, is usually done by slitting the throat and waiting for the convulsing chicken to die its slow death. The slaughter is violent, cruel, and painful, just as with commercial operations.

== Sentience and Cognition ==
While we are not suggesting that the degree of moral consideration given to an animal be based on their cognitive capacity, it seems that most people are unaware of the rich cognitive, emotional, and psychological lives that chickens experience, including their ability to experience happiness, boredom, and frustration.<ref>Marino, Lori. “Thinking Chickens: A Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior in the Domestic Chicken.” ''Animal Cognition''20, no. 2 (2017): 127–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4</ref>

In her book on chicken behavior and intelligence, prominent animal neurobiologist Leslie J. Rogers says that "the cognitive abilities of some avian species may actually rival those of primates," and that "recent findings challenge assumptions that have been made about brain size and the superiority of the mammalian line of evolution."<ref>Rogers, Lesley J. ''The Development of Brain and Behaviour in the Chicken''. CAB International, 1995. 214.</ref> This is not as far-fetched as it might seem—the chicken's forebrain is similar to the forebrain of mammals.<ref>Jarvis, Erich D., Onur Güntürkün, Laura Bruce, András Csillag, Harvey Karten, Wayne Kuenzel, Loreta Medina, et al. “Avian Brains and a New Understanding of Vertebrate Brain Evolution.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 6, no. 2 (February 2005): 151. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1606.</ref> 

Experiments show that chickens have a sense of the future and thus have an interest in continuing to live.<ref>Friday, 15 July 2005 Jennifer ViegasDiscovery News. “Chickens Worry about the Future.” Item, July 15, 2005. https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/07/15/1415178.htm.
</ref><ref>Marino, Lori. “Thinking Chickens: A Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior in the Domestic Chicken.” Animal Cognition 20, no. 2 (2017): 127–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4.
</ref> It is clear they can anticipate future events, exhibit self-control, and delay gratification.<ref>Abeyesinghe, S. M., C. J. Nicol, S. J. Hartnell, and C. M. Wathes. “Can Domestic Fowl, Gallus Gallus Domesticus, Show Self-Control?” Animal Behaviour 70, no. 1 (July 1, 2005): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.10.011.
</ref>

In the paper "Thinking chickens: a review of cognition, emotion, and behavior in the domestic chicken," Lori Marino examined 266 research articles in 16 peer-reviewed journals and found that chickens, among other capabilities…<ref>Marino, Lori. “Thinking Chickens: A Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior in the Domestic Chicken.” ''Animal Cognition''20, no. 2 (2017): 127–47. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1064-4</nowiki>.</ref>

* possess the capacity for episodic memory, which provides "evidence for an autobiographical sense of self in the past, present, and future"

* exhibit self-control, a capacity not found in humans until age four and is associated with self-awareness and autonomy—the ability to think about and choose future outcomes 

* are capable of reasoning and logical inference

* are as "emotionally and socially complex as most other birds and mammals in many areas"

* can perform simple math and understand the ordinality of numbers 

* have self-awareness—"a subjective awareness of one’s identity, one’s body, and one’s thoughts through time, distinguished from others"

* are capable of a wide range of emotions, including happiness, fear, anxiety, boredom, and frustration

* "are behaviorally sophisticated, discriminating among individuals, exhibiting Machiavellian-like social interactions, and learning socially in complex ways that are similar to humans."

* "have distinct personalities, just like all animals who are cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally complex individuals"

== Environmental Consequences ==

Chicken production, like other areas of animal agriculture, has a profoundly negative impact on the environment. 

A 2008 report from the United Nations concludes that "the environmental impacts of the [poultry production] sector are substantial. Poultry production is associated with a variety of pollutants, including oxygen-demanding substances, ammonia, solids, nutrients (specifically nitrogen and phosphorus), pathogens, trace elements, antibiotics, pesticides, hormones, and odor and other airborne emissions." This substantial impact is on surface water, groundwater, air, and soil.<ref>Gerber, Paul R., Carolyn Opio, and Henning Steinfeld. “Poultry Production and the Environment – a Review.” Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2008.</ref>

The impact of chicken production on global greenhouse gas emissions is not as great as for cows, but at eight percent of the total for animal agriculture, it is still substantial.<ref>“FAO - News Article: Key Facts and Findings.” FAO News—GHG Emissions by Livestock. Accessed July 3, 2019. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/ </ref>

The poultry industry points to chicken production being less environmentally damaging than other species of farmed animal production because "chickens are the most efficient converters of feed into meat of all land-based livestock species."<ref>Kite, Vivien. “How Sustainable Is Chicken Farming?” ACMF (blog), June 2, 2014. https://www.chicken.org.au/how-sustainable-is-chicken-farming/</ref> But their calculations ignore the total impact on the environment that accrues because far more chickens are produced than any other animal.<ref name=":0" /> 

It's ironic that chickens that actually are free-range to some extent (which are a small minority of the birds labeled free-range, as discussed above) place a greater environmental burden in the areas of energy use, land use, and the potential for global warming, eutrophication, and acidification.<ref>Rodic, Vesna, Lidija Peric, Mirjana Đukić Stojčić, and Natasa Vukelić. “The Environmental Impact of Poultry Production.” Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry 27 (January 1, 2011): 1673–79. https://doi.org/10.2298/BAH1104673R.
</ref>

== Human Health, Nutrition ==

=== Eggs ===

Eggs contain no nutrients that cannot be easily obtained from plant-based sources. About 70 percent of egg calories are from fat (much of which is saturated), and eggs are loaded with cholesterol.<ref>“Egg Nutrition Facts Labels | Large Egg Calories and Protein.” Egg Nutrition Center (blog). Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/egg-nutrition-facts-panels/.
</ref> Also, eggs have zero fiber. So it would be disingenuous to say that eggs are healthy because they contain other nutrients when these other nutrients can easily be found in other foods.

It's telling that even the USDA, arguably the best friend animal agriculture could ask for, has told the egg industry that it is not allowed to say eggs are healthy or nutritious.<ref>Transcript tab: "Flashback Friday: Who Says Eggs Aren’t Healthy or Safe? | NutritionFacts.Org.” Accessed July 5, 2019. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/flashback-friday-who-says-eggs-arent-healthy-or-safe/.</ref>

The links between eggs and heart disease, cancer, and diabetes have been known for years.<ref>“What’s Wrong with Eggs?” Forks Over Knives, September 3, 2013. https://www.forksoverknives.com/whats-wrong-with-eggs/ </ref> But this has become controversial because most of the more recent egg studies have been funded by the egg industry,<ref>“Egg Industry Continues to Influence Dietary Guidelines, FOIA Document Reveals.” Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Accessed July 6, 2019. https://www.pcrm.org/news/news-releases/egg-industry-continues-influence-dietary-guidelines-foia-document-reveals.
</ref> resulting in misleading conclusions and sowing confusion about the topic.<ref>Nestle, Marion. “Food Industry Funding of Nutrition Research: The Relevance of History for Current Debates.” JAMA Internal Medicine 176, no. 11 (November 1, 2016): 1685–86. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.5400.</ref><ref>“Egg Industry Funded Studies - Google Search.” Google Search. Accessed July 5, 2019. https://www.google.com/search?q=egg+industry+funded+studies.</ref> If you are interested in exactly how the egg industry has rigged the results, see [https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/ this] explanation.<ref>Transcript Tab: How the Egg Board Designs Misleading Studies | NutritionFacts.Org. Accessed July 6, 2019. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-the-egg-board-designs-misleading-studies/.
</ref>

Hopefully, a 2019 study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association will correct the public's perception of the issue. It finds that eating even small amounts of eggs daily significantly raises the risk for both cardiovascular disease and premature death. And the more eggs consumed, the higher the risk for stroke, coronary heart disease, and heart failure.<ref>Zhong, Victor W., Linda Van Horn, Marilyn C. Cornelis, John T. Wilkins, Hongyan Ning, Mercedes R. Carnethon, Philip Greenland, et al. “Associations of Dietary Cholesterol or Egg Consumption With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality.” JAMA 321, no. 11 (March 19, 2019): 1081–95. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.1572.</ref>

=== Chicken Meat ===

It is commonly believed that white meat is healthier than red meat, and this belief is at least partially responsible for the 1,400 percent increase in the number of chickens bred and slaughtered for meat over the last 50 years.<ref>“Big Chicken: Pollution and Industrial Poultry Production in America.” Accessed July 6, 2019. http://pew.org/2yIxE4p</ref>

But a 2019 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that there is no reason to choose white meat over red meat for the reduction of cardiovascular disease, and it recommends plant-based food for lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.<ref>Bergeron, Nathalie, Sally Chiu, Paul T. Williams, Sarah M King, and Ronald M. Krauss. “Effects of Red Meat, White Meat, and Nonmeat Protein Sources on Atherogenic Lipoprotein Measures in the Context of Low Compared with High Saturated Fat Intake: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 110, no. 1 (July 1, 2019): 24–33. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqz035.</ref>

All animal protein, chicken or otherwise, carries risks that are not associated with plant protein. A review by Dr. Sofia Ochoa cites 42 studies showing that animal protein…

* elevates hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which stimulates cell division and growth in both healthy and cancer cells and "has been consistently associated with increased cancer risk, proliferation, and malignancy"

* "results in us having higher circulating levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)," which "injures the lining of our vessels, creates inflammation, and facilitates the formation of cholesterol plaques in our blood vessels"

* causes the overproduction of the hormone fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), which damages our blood vessels, can "lead to enlargement of the cardiac ventricle, and is associated with heart attacks, sudden death, and heart failure"

* can result in the overabsorption of heme iron, causing the conversion of other oxidants into highly reactive free radicals that "can damage different cell structures like proteins, membranes, and DNA" (heme iron "has also been associated with many kinds of gastrointestinal cancers")

* can result in a higher incidence of bone fractures because of animal protein's high concentrations of sulfur

* contributes to atherosclerosis—plaques of cholesterol that accumulate in the lining of our vessels; this condition is far less common on a vegan diet because absorbable cholesterol is not found in plants

== Social Consequences of Chicken Production ==
Poultry workers suffer serious injuries at twice the rate of other industries and are more than six times as likely to have sickness related to work, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).<ref>“OSHA Poultry Slaughtering and Poultry Processing | Occupational Safety and Health Administration.” Accessed June 12, 2019. <nowiki>https://www.osha.gov/dep/enforcement/poultry_processing_10282015.html</nowiki>.</ref>

OSHA data from 2013 reveals poultry workers suffer carpal tunnel syndrome seven times more than the average worker and that they are 4.5 times more likely to identify repetitive motion for serious injury.<ref>Cartwright, Michael S., Francis O. Walker, Jill N. Blocker, Mark R. Schulz, Thomas A. Arcury, Joseph G. Grzywacz, Dana Mora, Haiying Chen, Antonio J. Marín, and Sara A. Quandt. “The Prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Latino Poultry-Processing Workers and Other Latino Manual Workers.” ''Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine''54, no. 2 (February 2012): 198–201. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e31823fdf53</nowiki>.</ref><ref>Cartwright, Michael S., Francis O. Walker, Jill C. Newman, Mark R. Schulz, Thomas A. Arcury, Joseph G. Grzywacz, Dana C. Mora, Haiying Chen, Bethany Eaton, and Sara A. Quandt. “One-Year Incidence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Latino Poultry Processing Workers and Other Latino Manual Workers.” ''American Journal of Industrial Medicine''57, no. 3 (March 2014): 362–69. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22250</nowiki>.</ref><ref>Musolin, Kristin, Jessica G. Ramsey, James T. Wassell, and David L. Hard. “Prevalence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome among Employees at a Poultry Processing Plant.” ''Applied Ergonomics''45, no. 6 (November 2014): 1377–83. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2014.03.005</nowiki>.</ref>

The GAO also finds that workers are hesitant to speak up about the injuries for fear of retaliation, which suggests the problems may be underreported.<ref>Office, U. S. Government Accountability. “Workplace Safety and Health: Better Outreach, Collaboration, and Information Needed to Help Protect Workers at Meat and Poultry Plants,” no. GAO-18-12 (December 7, 2017). https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-12.</ref>

The Union of Concerned Scientists concludes that with the increase in chicken-processing line speeds allowed by the USDA in late 2018, the situation will only get worse.<ref>“USDA Increases Line Speeds Endangering Poultry Processing Plant Workers.” Union of Concerned Scientists. Accessed June 12, 2019. <nowiki>https://www.ucsusa.org/center-science-and-democracy/attacks-on-science/usda-increases-line-speeds-endangering-poultry</nowiki>.</ref>

== Footnotes ==
<references />

== Meta ==

This article was originally authored by [[User:Greg.Fuller | Greg Fuller ]] and copy-edited by [[User:Isaac.Nickerson | Isaac Nickerson]]. The contents may have been edited since that time by others.

{{jfa-meta
| meta-keywords = veganism, animal rights
| meta-description = This article covers various aspects of farmed chickens in the context of animal rights, including injustices and suffering, humane labels and certifications, chicken sentience and cognition, the environmental consequences of farming chickens, the health risks of chicken meat and eggs, and impacts to workers and neighborhoods.
}}

[[ Category: Summary ]]
[[ Category: Animals ]]
[[ Category: Health ]]
[[ Category: Earth ]]
[[ Category: Humanity ]]