Animal Equality Investigation of Italian Chicken Factory Farms and Veterinary Analysis

Animal equality conducted a first of its kind investigation
in Italy that will give you a completely new perspective
on the chicken meat industry. Our investigators
documented a farm in Northern Italy and with
the support of expert veterinarians revealed how
the chickens raised for meat suffer from
chronic pain disability and early death.
This is the direct result of the meat industry's genetic
selection in the pursuit of more profit.
Our investigation begins in the sheds of a factory farm where
we collected several chickens who died prematurely.
The conditions at these factory farms and the consequences of
the genetic selection of these animals result in
a very high mortality rate.
We compared the damage in the bodies of these chickens with the
bodies of others who lived in an animal rescue a healthy
and natural environment with the best possible care.
However, even these animals didn't survive
the damaging genetic traits that made them grow
too large too quickly.
comparing the chickens raised on factory farms to
those who lived at the animal rescue shows what
many scientific Studies have long said
this genetic selection causes significant health problems, and
the Animals can't escape the suffering.
the US meat industry kills more than 8 billion chickens
Most of them are fast growing breeds and suffer the same
problems meat companies purposely select the
genetic traits that make them grow breasts and thighs disproportionately
big with very painful consequences in
just seven weeks chickens grow
from about two ounces to more than six pounds the
weight the industry considers suitable for Slaughter.
It's like a baby reaching over 660 pounds
in just two months.
The first negative effects of this unnatural rapid growth
and its impact on their skeletons are obvious.
The calcification of their bones is not
even complete at seven weeks old when these
animals are sent to the slaughterhouse. They're still
baby chicks with overgrown bodies. They have huge breasts
and thighs and a bone structure that can't support
them.
This lack of calcification predisposes chickens
to Bone diseases and even fractures which
cause great suffering to the animals.
x-rays taken by veterinarians showed clear fractures
because of the severe physical damage caused by
genetic selection these chickens end up sitting on
the ground with their legs spread unable to support the
weight of their own body.
Due to fractures and other joint problems chickens
often struggle to stand up and walk.
accessing food and water becomes difficult if not
impossible for some
leading to a slow and painful death.
Even the three rescue chickens encountered serious difficulties
walking due to their genetics.
In one case they had to create artificial support
to help her stand up.
Despite the attention they received they were trapped in
their own bodies and could never break free.
Skeletal problems are not the only health issues that
chickens suffer from due to this genetic selection. They also
suffer severe damage to their internal organs.
In two of the seven Birds collected at the farm veterinarians found
blood leaking from their respiratory tracts. This can
indicate internal organ damage a serious
condition that can lead them to collapse and die.
All of this is only made worse by conditions on
farms chickens spend their entire lives on
a bed of litter that is rarely changed and is
full of feces and urine forced to live
in their own ways the high concentration of ammonia damages
these animals respiratory tract and worsens their
health.
The analysis of chickens that lived with clean bedding
and Veterinary Care showed that because of their breed
they still suffered significant organ damage
their genetics predisposes them to develop
cardiac diseases. It's Unthinkable that
it's legal to breed animals who suffer so terribly
this violates Italian Animal Welfare laws
where these birds were examined and rescued but
in the US there are no federal laws that
protect chickens approximately 99% of
chickens used for meat in the US are fast growing
breeds due to their genetics every year more
than eight billion of them are doomed to develop diseases suffer
unnecessary injuries and die
prematurely.
The bodies of the animals we collected from the farm and
the other three chickens represent only a tiny
fraction of the victims of this genetic selection.
Sam lived longer than his companions. He lived to
be almost one year old and was full of life love
to explore and was curious about the
world but his body was already weakened after
the first few months and he died of injuries related
to growing so quickly.
Breeding animals condemned to suffer is cruel and
unacceptable. We can make a difference for
the chickens raised and killed for meat and for millions
of other animals by simply making more compassionate choices
by reducing our meat consumption and
eating plant-based. We can end the cruelties
inflicted daily on these animals.