I’m not exaggerating one bit when I say that the way turkeys,
chickens, ducks and geese are treated is a crime. Everyone is outraged
if one human is made to suffer a tiny fraction of the living hell that
billions of domestic fowl go through routinely. And this criminal
behavior that is accepted by society cannot be excused by claiming
that poultry lack intelligence.
In “The Development of Brain and Behaviour in the Chicken” published
in 1995, avian specialist Lesley Rogers wrote that “it is now clear that
birds have cognitive capacities equivalent to those of mammals, even
primates” and “the chicken is not an inferior species to be treated
merely as a food source.”
Away from the commonplace present-day mechanical manipulation,
exploitation and horrific abuse, turkey and chicken mothers exhibit a
level of concern and care for their children that present a paradigm
which human mothers would do well to follow. In laboratory studies, hens
fed grains that made them ill not only avoid such grains in the future;
they push their chicks away from the bad grains and lead them to the
good ones.
Some humans would do well to show the restraint, self-control, and
anticipation of the future that chickens exhibit in laboratory studies:
They have learned not to peck at buttons that yield only a small number
of grains in favor of waiting longer to peck at buttons that produce a
large amount of food.
Laboratory findings prove that the widespread joint disease of farmed
chickens forced to grow too fast causes life-long extreme pain. This is
shown by the fact that when given a choice between food containing a
pain reliever and food containing no pain reliever, lame chickens choose
the medicated food.
Furthermore, studies show that chickens have excellent memories
enabling them to recognize and remember more than 100 other chickens.
I’m glad Frank and I adopted a vegan (no animal products) lifestyle
years ago, even before publication of scientific studies that are
exposing the truth about the intelligence and sensitivity of other
animals.
For more information about domestic fowl, read the Winter 2007 issue
of Poultry Press and visit
www.upc-online.org.
Also visit:
http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/turkey.html
http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/chicken.html
http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/duck.html
