A caged chicken on the day she was let out of her cage. Here she is, 3 months later
10 years ago by frepoi · 2950 Likes · 23 comments · Popular
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superchicken
· 10 years ago
· FIRST
This is why I raise my own chickens for eggs. And because chickens make fun pets!
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guest
· 10 years ago
Me too :D
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bookaholic
· 10 years ago
For a second there I thought you were saying "me too" as in I make a fun pet
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robbouche
· 10 years ago
I bet she would make a good sandwich.
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superchicken
· 10 years ago
The chicken meat you get at the store is from very young birds that haven't even aged enough to develop a cluck, they still have the chick "peep". Any hen old enough to have been used up as a layer is tough and usually only good for stew. Just so ya know.
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deleted
· 10 years ago
I had always known chickens in cages were miserable, but this picture was the turning point for me. I have only bought cage free eggs ever since since I saw this picture a few years ago.
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superchicken
· 10 years ago
Cage-free is better but still not very good. They only get slightly more space and better treatment, when you get to know these animals like I have it doesn't seem all that great. If at all possible for you I recommend that you raise 3 poults (teenage chickens) and get your eggs from them. They offer many benefits outside of just giving you eggs and they can be great pets when raised properly because they are as smart as most dogs. (the university of Bristol did a study about it) But if that isn't possible for you right now cage-free eggs are the best option.
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jillaroo
· 10 years ago
Oh come on, not all cage chickens look like this. This poor chicken has been severely neglected and abused, and while I'd rather cage-free I really encourage people to actually go to a cage-egg farm and see how things are run before they pass judgement. Going to prepare for downvotes here, but being a farmer I've seen many a picture get a slogan slapped on them, and then people start believing it's an industry standard not a very small percentage of farmers that treat their animals like this. If you really think farmers are just greedy and don't care about their animals at all, then at least think of the fact that abused animals do not make money.
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superchicken
· 10 years ago
Even if they don't all look this rough I prefer eggs from chickens who have a big grassy yard with lots of things to occupy them rather than from those locked in a cage. Which is why I raise my own.
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jillaroo
· 10 years ago
That's perfectly fine, I'd prefer a world where everyone grew their own food to be perfectly honest. But I'd ask that people don't just look at a photo, read the caption, and take it as fact. One of my friends posted a photo of a heifer that had been trapped in a trough (which they took several hours to release, all in harsh Aussie sun, and eventually having to destroy the trough), and the photo was stolen and posted on an anti-live export website, saying this practice was 'normal' or some bull. This chicken in the photo is the victim of animal abuse, not a victim of cage-egg farming.
superchicken
· 10 years ago
Oh I don't doubt it, groups like PEETA tend to exaggerate. But still, the idea of cage farming is just sad even if they are treated nicer than what we are led to believe. I have seen one of the small "cruelty free organic" blah blah blah farms and they still just sit in a small space all day. And as someone who has kept a small flock for the last five years and has had a chance to see how much personality and intelligence they have that just seems wrong. It would be so much better if people just kept a little flock of 3-6 so there would less demand and strain on the farmers to produce so much. I can understand not being able to produce your own meat and milk and what not but 3 chickens are super easy to maintain.
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calmthelovelytits
· 10 years ago
I just love how you guy are debating about chickens.
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superchicken
· 10 years ago
^ Because chickens are great X) <3
jillaroo
· 10 years ago
It's hardly a debate. Actually, for the internet, this is a highly civilised conversations between mates! Cheers, superchicken!
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superchicken
· 10 years ago
And to you, jillaroo!
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calmthelovelytits
· 10 years ago
So pretty in the second picture!
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deleted
· 10 years ago
not to be mean but who takes the time to take a picture of a chicken then wait three months and take another picture of it then post it on the Internet
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calmthelovelytits
· 10 years ago
Someone who wants to show what proper care as opposed to neglect can do to an animal?
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deleted
· 10 years ago
It's neglecting a
smokeyjoe
· 10 years ago
When will they be eating her?
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superchicken
· 10 years ago
Even if they were planning on it a hen that old would be tough and stringy, hardly even suitable for the stew pot.
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guest
· 10 years ago
Chickens can live for more than 3 months!?
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superchicken
· 10 years ago
The generally accepted life expectancy is 7-10 YEARS with proper care. I have a hen who just turned 5 and she still lays and runs around the yard like a poult. Broilers (chickens bred for meat) don't generally live that long because of their breeding but even they can get to like 3 or 4. Dual purpose breeds (egg and meat) don't generally make it to 10 but live longer than broilers. My five year old hen is a dual purpose (Delaware). Egg production and fancy breeds (bred for beauty and to be shown like dogs) seem to live the longest. Battery hens like this one are kept in miserable cages that aren't even big enough for them to spread their wings and when they stop laying they are disposed of. There are rescue groups that take used up hens and let them live freely in a pasture until they die of old age.
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