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• March 15, 2011 at 9:50am

  Guys, I love you, but recommending chicken is so disappointing. Anything that supports factory farming is a huge stressor for me personally. Consider this quote concerning broiler chickens from In Defense of Animals: "The broiler chicken industry produces 6 billion chickens a year for slaughter. This industry is ruled by only 60 companies which have created an oligopoly. Broiler chickens are selectively bred and genetically altered to produce bigger thighs and breasts, the parts in most demand. This breeding creates birds so heavy that their bones cannot support their weight, making it difficult for them to stand. The birds are bred to grow at an astonishing rate, reaching their market weight of 3 1/2 pounds in seven weeks. Broilers are raised in overcrowded broiler houses instead of cages to prevent the occurrence of bruised flesh which would make their meat undesirable. Their beaks and toes are cut off and the broiler houses are usually unlit to prevent fighting among the birds." There is no way this can be a part of a yoga lifestyle, right?

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  • 
    Kitmao

    There is also the option of getting chickens from farmers that treat them fairly by allowing them to be free range instead of crowding them into cages. Also, these farmers (at least the ones in my area) don't typically selective breed in an abusive fashion as you described.
    To acknowledge that there are meat eaters and suggest they be very aware of how the animals are treated is also a productive way to fight the factory farming industry and the suffering of animals.

    about a year ago in Saint Louis, US

  • 
    gidi2

    Great point, Kitmao. Buying locally and knowing how your food is grown or raised is an excellent option with two benefits: one, it is a more compassionate choice, and two, it decreases the demand for factory farmed animals and sends a message. Note, however, that just looking for the terms free range or cage free on a label is not as good a choice. Read the FDA definition of "FREE RANGE or FREE ROAMING: Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside." Amount of time outside, or the environment is not specified. University of California Davis notes that "Cage free does not mean that the birds are raised out of doors or are running free. Typically, birds are maintained on the floor of the poultry house or barn. They may or may not have access to outdoor pens." One picture of a factory farm poultry house with its acres of chickens is worth a thousand words. Buying locally and knowing what you are getting would also help in avoiding meat and poultry with antibiotics and growth hormones. I am probably not a good person to have this discussion as I would not eat animals regardless of the compassion with which they were killed. However, I truly appreciate Kitmao that you have given the discussion thought. Namaste!

    about a year ago in Boardman, US

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