chickens

It's odd- suddenly I'm seeing quite a few chickens at work! After 'Spirit' the cockerel I saw a little ex-battery hen called 'Esmerelda'.
I don't know how much you know about chicken and egg production so I'll just outline the basics- There are two distinct types of chickens- 1) broiler chickens which grow very rapidly and have a lot of meat on them and are slaughtered young for us to eat and 2) egg-producing chickens which are quite scrawny and are kept purely for their eggs, they are slaughtered at the end of their productive lives and go into pet food.
In western countries both of these types are generally reared intensively on massive farms in their hundreds.
It is difficult to tell what type of system broiler chickens have been raised in because even if they are organic it does not mean they have been raised in an extensive way. The RSPCA is starting to label some supermarket chickens to help the consumer identify which broiler chickens have been raised in a more welfare conscious way. See links below.
At the supermarket eggs are labelled as battery, barn or free range. Without seeing the actual facilities I am always a bit skeptical about the labelling! That's just me! Free range should be the best in respect to welfare and battery the worst- battery chickens are kept in very small cages and often are unable to even stretch out their wings. Personally I'm dubious about the welfare of chickens kept in barns.
All types of intensive farming have their problems with respect to animal welfare. Unfortunately chickens fare poorly in the welfare stakes.
Because chickens aren't mammals, it is easy to not feel as sympathetic as you might towards a cute calf or lamb.
Personally I have been reminded, by seeing Spirit and Esmerelda, just how beautiful chickens actually are.
Whenever possible I get my eggs from friends or small local farms where the chickens truly are free-range. As soon as I can, I will get some ex-battery hens myself. The RSPCA re home ex-battery hens to afford them at least a bit of quality life before they die. Unfortunately they often only live for about a year after they have been rescued from battery cages because they are often completely physically exhausted.
check out more info here-
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=chickens
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=consumerhomepage
Please make an informed decision the next time you buy chicken or eggs....