Advocacy is not the function of a newspaper. As in the animal kingdom, our greatest responsibility is our young. We are each signed to an unwritten contract to safeguard the well being of our young people, to contribute to their education with honesty and sensitivity, and to do no harm to the planet that they and their progeny will inherit. In this instance, the truth hurts. The truth hurts animals.
Individual species suffer an array of atrocities during their forced march toward the market.
Excretory ammonia causes breathing problems and blindness in these birds. Their toes and beaks are removed without anesthetic to limit damage from fighting. Chickens raised for meat live this way for 47 days. The life span of an egg-laying hen is 18 months. Male chicks, unable to lay eggs and genetically unsuitable for meat, go directly from egg to trash bin to be rendered into animal feed.