Inside India’s Cruel Chicken Industry

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Chickens are curious birds. They can
solve complex problems, count, and just
like us, they also dream when they
sleep.
They have their best friends whom they
play with
and avoid those they dislike.
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This is Gloria. We rescued her from a
factory farm after she had been thrown
into a garbage bin.
She barely survived, but now she's
thriving.
Just like us, chickens feel pain when
injured and avoid danger at all costs.
This sensitive side of chickens is
something we don't generally see.
Instead, we see them trapped in cages,
loaded onto trucks, and being sold as
packaged meat in grocery stores.
Nearly 8 billion chickens are killed
every year in the US who, just like
Gloria, have unique personalities and a
strong will to live.
In a recent investigation, Animal
Equality visited several industrial
chicken farms across India.
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From the very first day that they emerge
from their shells, they're missing their
mothers' love. Instead, they are stuffed
inside small boxes and sent on
rigorously long journeys to factory
farms.
Some are dead before the journey even
begins, while others die before they
arrive at the destination.
Once they get to the farm, the birds are
forced to live on their own feces as
their litter isn't cleaned.
They are made to grow so quickly that
they will reach 4 to 6 lb in just 42
days, which causes them many health
problems.
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Normally, it should take several months
for a chick to reach the weight of an
adult chicken.
Their delicate legs can't keep up with
this unnatural weight gain.
Their legs are crippled and they can't
walk or reach the food or water.
Many fall ill and die of starvation.
Others will die of heart attacks or
respiratory infections.
The harsh conditions they live in are a
fertile breeding ground for diseases.
So, they are routinely given
antibiotics.
The immense use of antibiotics results
in drug-resistant bacteria, which
threaten human health.
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Still, ill and dead birds are very
common on factory farms.
Those who survive the 42 days are sent
to slaughter.
Some are transported on motorcycles,
while others are crammed by large
numbers into tiny rusted metal racks.
This journey lasts many hours and
sometimes days.
By the time they reach the market, many
are dead and the rest are barely
clinging to life.
Here, sick or injured, they don't
receive any food or water
and they are handled in the most brutal
manner.
After many hours or even days of
suffering, their throats are slit and
they are thrown into drainage basins
where they languish in pain for several
minutes before they die.
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Meat markets are incredibly unhygienic
and help spread malaria, typhoid, and
other diseases among residents living in
the area.
According to India's food safety laws,
chickens should only be killed at
licensed slaughterhouses.
But in practice, they are slaughtered
openly at almost every market.
This is illegal.
This is the second investigation Animal
Equality has carried out into India's
chicken meat industry. We have also
conducted investigations into industrial
egg farms across India, documenting the
abuse and terrible conditions endured by
hens.
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Animal Equality has presented its
findings, along with suggestions, to
improve the lives of these birds to the
government.
And now, it is your turn to help these
animals. Please, ask the Indian
government to take action today.
Sign and share our petition now and
please consider leaving chickens off
your plate.