The meat industry now consumes FOUR-FIFTHS of all antibiotics - Mother Jones

[bvar22]

30. Chickens that can not stand up.....

My wife & I moved from Minneapolis to a very rural area of Arkansas (Ouachita Mountains) in the Fall of 2006. A couple of months later, during Christmas Week, we were exploring along a winding, dirt back road after a snowfall,
and there, in the middle of the road, sitting on a small pile of snow between the ruts, was a small, yellow chick that couldn't have been more than 2 days old.

We had no idea how that chick could have gotten there,
but, of course, we took the chick home, warmed it up, and became the proud parents of a beautiful little house chicken.

Since raising and keeping Free Range Chickens was a part of our plan, we celebrated the Christmas Providence of the newest member of our refuge and first member of our flock.

It soon became apparent that our new member had difficulty standing, and was deteriorating daily. My wife stayed in 24 hour nursing attendance, hand feeding and nurturing this small and very frail piece of our new life. She even fashioned small splints in the hope that this would let her stand, but that was not to be.
After several days, this small chick died in my wife's hands while she was whispering words of love and giving her permission to go. We buried "Peep" behind our cabin that afternoon.

A few days later, we mentioned the mystery of the Chick-in-the-Road to a local neighbor, and he told us the horrible truth.

Tyson Industries contracts with local Chicken "Farmers" in this area.
Tyson provides the chicks and the feed, and picks up the hens for slaughter.
The "farmers" keep these chickens in tight confinement (Concentration Camps).
They live their short lives in cages too small to turn around in, so there is no need for them to even stand. They are bred for the size of their breasts ONLY, and wouldn't be able to walk even if they were free.

The chicks are hatched at the Tyson Factory Headquarters,
and transported to the "farmers" aboard the "Chicken Bus",
and it is not uncommon for one or two chicks to escape from the bus during transport, but that doesn't do them any good because they can't really walk.
THAT was what we had found in the snow, in the road, the Day before Christmas, and a sobering dose of reality for us.

We are still here, and we have a wonderful flock of happy, healthy, Free Range chickens.
We treat them with respect and love, and they entertain us, mystify us, and give us healthy eggs, but we also haven't forgotten the horrors that exist not too far away.