The
Life of
Chickens

Broken birds are the chicken industry standard.

Never-before-seen footage from Mercy For Animals exposes what the meat industry is hiding. Does your supermarket support such appalling cruelty?

Watch the New York Times Exclusive

“We shouldn’t be allowed to breed birds like this.”

He’s just a few weeks old, but already his legs can’t support his weight. For birds selectively bred to grow too large too fast—a practice rampant in factory farming—this fate is all too common. Splayed on the ground and left to rest on litter soaked with the waste of countless birds, he can develop painful sores and rashes.

He can’t even reach food and water.

If he weren’t so unnaturally large and kept in a dark, overcrowded barn, he would roam and dustbathe in the sun. But here, he spends his short life struggling just to eat and drink.

She’s so sick that she won’t make it off the farm.

Some birds don’t live long enough to make it to slaughter, often because their organs can’t support their fast and massive growth. Dead chickens routinely go unnoticed and remain in the barns alongside the living.

She was left behind as if invisible.

After about six weeks, trucks collect most of the birds who are still alive. But she remains, wandering in the barren barn. Chickens who are too small or whose legs are too injured to fit the slaughter machines are left behind. Often the farmer must kill them on the farm. When the next shipment of young chickens arrives, the cycle begins again.

These broken birds are the industry standard.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

These broken birds are the industry standard.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Supermarkets have the power to reduce cruelty in their operations by adopting meaningful animal welfare standards outlined by the Better Chicken Commitment, a leading set of welfare practices that eliminate the worst abuses to chickens used for meat.

Supermarkets have the power to reduce cruelty in their operations by adopting meaningful animal welfare standards outlined by the Better Chicken Commitment, a leading set of welfare practices that eliminate the worst abuses to chickens used for meat.

Demand change for chickens.

Your voice matters. Urge Target, ALDI, Winn-Dixie, and others to prevent horrific suffering by adopting a comprehensive animal welfare policy.

Read the petition

I was disappointed to learn that your company performed so poorly in the Mercy For Animals retailer report. Several of your competitors have taken meaningful steps to reduce suffering in their supply chains, including Kroger, Giant Eagle, Sprouts, and Whole Foods.

I’ve learned more about what happens to chickens in the meat industry from the recent New York Times opinion video and LifeOfChickens.com, and I am appalled that you haven’t taken steps to prevent such cruelty in your operations. The abuse you allow is unacceptable.

Please take decisive action to address the most pressing issues associated with chickens used for meat by publishing broiler chicken welfare policies that meet the standards of the Better Chicken Commitment.

Demand change for chickens.

Your voice matters. Urge Target, ALDI, Winn-Dixie, and others to prevent horrific suffering by adopting a comprehensive animal welfare policy.

Read the petition

I was disappointed to learn that your company performed so poorly in the Mercy For Animals retailer report. Several of your competitors have taken meaningful steps to reduce suffering in their supply chains, including Kroger, Giant Eagle, Sprouts, and Whole Foods.

I’ve learned more about what happens to chickens in the meat industry from the recent New York Times opinion video and LifeOfChickens.com, and I am appalled that you haven’t taken steps to prevent such cruelty in your operations. The abuse you allow is unacceptable.

Please take decisive action to address the most pressing issues associated with chickens used for meat by publishing broiler chicken welfare policies that meet the standards of the Better Chicken Commitment.

We can each help protect these birds by eating plant-based versions of our favorite chicken dishes.

Download our FREE veg starter guide for delicious plant-based recipes.