The girls learn about chickens

_Elsa_

When they arrive at Farmer Joe’s farm he is waiting for them outside the barn.

“Hi joe, these are my friends Tiffi and Elsa,” says Amelia. “Tiffi read some articles online about farm animal factories and it upset her because of how the animals are abused so I think you can make her aware that not all farms are the same.” 

Farmer Joe is happy to show off his farm animals. Amelia has to get back to her cropsies, but she will call later to see if she needs to come back. It all depends on how much help Hunter and Choo Choo are, *fingers crossed*.  

“Ok girls let’s go look at some of my animals,” says Farmer Joe. “Up ahead are the chickens. I’ll tell you a bit about them on the way.”   

‘There are more chickens in the world than any other bird. In fact, more than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of food, for both their meat and their eggs. Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens, whilst those farmed for eggs are called egg-laying hens. 

The natural life of chickens - Chickens are gregarious birds and live together as a flock with a distinct hierarchy or “pecking order.” They would naturally spend their day foraging for food, scratching the ground looking for insects and seeds. 

When a cockerel finds food, he may call the hens to eat it by clucking in a high pitch and picking up and dropping the food. This behaviour can also be seen in mother hens, calling their chicks. Chickens tend to range widely, using the cover of trees and vegetation for safety from predators. Life on some farms and small holdings is just like that. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the 50 billion chickens reared each year experience intensive farming methods.‘ (Source)

“I’ll tell you more about the two types of chickens,” Farmer Joe says. “The lighter color chicken is the broiler chicken, and the darker chicken is the laying hen chicken.” 

‘Broiler chickens (raised for meat) - Broiler chickens should not be confined indoors, and adult birds should also be given the opportunity to spend significant amounts of time on pasture. When they are on pasture, the birds should have access to housing that provides protection from climatic conditions and predators. Chickens raised for meat should live in conditions that allow the birds to have freedom of movement and the ability to engage in most natural behaviors, such as eating, preening, running, jumping, scratching, foraging and ground pecking, wing flapping, dust bathing, encounters with other birds, and vocalizing. Broiler chickens should receive antibiotics only for treatment of disease or illness, as prescribed by a veterinarian.

Laying hens (raised for egg production) - Laying hens should not be raised in cages or confined spaces, but rather in conditions that allow the birds to have freedom of movement and the ability to engage in natural behaviors--such as spreading their wings, pecking, dust bathing, perching, and nesting. All laying hens should have access to nest boxes and sleeping perches. Hens should be given daily access to the outdoors with preference given to entirely free-range systems. The birds should not be subjected to forced molting and should be raised in conditions that do not necessitate debeaking or beak trimming. Hens should receive antibiotics only for treatment of disease or illness, as prescribed by a veterinarian. ‘ (Source)

The girls are pleased to see that the chickens are very content in this environment, so Farmer Joe is doing it right!

“Let’s move on,” says Farmer Joe. “Over there are the cows so we’ll go see them next.”

Let’s continue - Beef cows vs dairy cows  

Start at the beginning – Tiffi and Elsa take a trip to Dairy District