Free Range Chicken

Free Range Chicken

So I have been watching that Hugh’s Chicken Run which was on Channel four on British TV. Here is the site link with information about it if you are interested. It gives the next episodes showing times and clips from the series.

http://www.channel4.com/video/hughs-chicken-run/series-1/


Now, what the whole programme was about were Free Range chickens. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall sets up a battery farm for chickens and one for free-range and sees the difference between the two.

Battery chickens basically have a crap life. They only live for about 39 days and they spend it all crammed in a huge warehouse with barely enough room to move once they get a big bigger, with nothing to do but eat and drink so they get fat. Because when they poo it just stays there as no-one cleans up, they are constanly sitting in their own fesies. Because of the ammonia level in their poo, they end up with huge sores on their legs which make life very uncomfertable. It said that something like 93% of the chickens which are raised in the battery sheds die having never seen daylight once in their life!


On the other hand, Free Range chickens live in the shed for the first few weeks untilt they are old enough to go outside. Even then their conditions are better as there are lass chickens per square metre and they have balls and things to keep themselves occupied. Then they are allowed outside during the day. It was noted that the free-range chickens were more active, jumping around and stuff. Because free-range chickens are allowed out they burn off more energy than battery chickens and so take longer to reach the traget weight. The normally live for about 50 days.


Now I know you might think that it doesn’t matter either way, they are going to end up dead and our meal at the end of the day. Personally, the thing I use to justify eating meat is the fact that the animals we eat have a good life before we kill them. Like with cows; we raise them, feed them, pay for their vet bills and everything they need. Then after how ever long they are kpe alive we kill and eat them, which I sort of see as our payback if you get me. I cannot justify eating battery chickens however when they are is such terrible living condiions and spending their entire life, albeit short life, in such a squalor.


I just wanted to tell you about it anyway as having watched the three day documetary I am trying to convince my mam to go free-range as it really isn’t nice how battery chickens are looked after etc. I know free-range is more expensive to buy of the shelves, with the difference being about £2 for a full chicken in most supermarkeets, but I urge you to whereveer possible, consider buying free-range.

Thanks for reading
Heather