Chickens: Are chickens in cages being abused?

[John@]

There are various movements against the use of battery cages for poultry. They prefer free range rearing. These groups are so powerful that they have influenced some consumers to start buying products from free range and organic farms. There are even laws in place that force producers to put on their products their rearing method - whether organic, free range etc. Now I’ll like to know your thoughts about this, are chickens in cages really being abused?

[FarmTech]

Yes, some producers abuse their chickens by housing them in overcrowded cages. To compensate for this, they give sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics which is now causing antibiotic resistance in man. In some countries, laws have been passed to increase cage space and add enrichments in the cage so that the birds can have something to explore. Not all farmers abuse there birds though.

[FarmTech]

Yes, some producers abuse their chickens by housing them in overcrowded cages. To compensate for this, they give sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics which is now causing antibiotic resistance in man. In some countries, laws have been passed to increase cage space and add enrichments in the cage so that the birds can have something to explore. Not all farmers abuse there birds though.

[Ikowa5]

@farmtech, good info

[Manihot]

Some producers abuse them by cramming them into small space. But with appropriate spacing I support cages because they're more efficient and less labor intensive.