In Australia, broiler farmed chickens are housed in large, windowless sheds in massive flocks of between 20,000 and 50,000 birds. Broiler farmers usually rear five or six batches of chickens a year. Two or three weeks are needed between batches to allow the sheds to be cleared of litter and fumigated. The litter is not changed or cleaned during the chickens' time in the sheds and so becomes increasingly wet and greasy and covered in the bird's faeces. It is estimated that 80% of the litter by weight consists of faeces by the time of slaughter. This capping of litter with a greasy layer is exacerbated by a diet which includes the recycled blood, offal and feathers of dead birds. (parts of this info obtained from AAQ)

Inghams (who supply KFC www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com ) use this cruel method of broiler farming for their meat production.

Chickens are also bred genetically to grow rapidly within 6 to 8 weeks. They are so large, some cannot walk, their bones often break, they suffer heart attacks, or other injuries because their bones are too young to support them. The Australian chicken industry inform us they have no stats about injuries chicken suffer due to their large body mass. Many die of e coli . In Oct 2006, tens of thousands of broiler chickens died en masse in Brisbane Queensland from pesticide feed.

At the time of chicken slaughter, they are shackled upside down, many at one time, sometimes their legs are broken in the shackling process. They are then dumped head first in an electrified stun bath where they experience a grand mal seizure and are supposed to be rendered unconscious. However, this stun bath does not always work and many are scalded alive (defeathering process) and their throats cut. Sometimes automated knives are not effective and some chickens are mutilated while conscious. This is considered "humane" slaughter.

Click below - contained in link is an article which contains more detailed information about current methods of slaughter. Controlled atmosphere killing is not a current method of slaughter. http://www.qgar.oceandrop.org/Controlled_Atmosphere_Killing.htm 

We have made enquiries to chicken.org.au and they have been less than helpful. The Ighams chicken industry who supplies KFC and the Australian Chicken Industry www.chicken.org.au in general say they have no statistics regarding deaths, injuries etc of broiler chickens and yet complain if any inaccurate information is put out to the media etc. They admit no outside group does impromtu inspections of the sheds. The Australian chicken industry is very secretive and lacks transparency. Broiler farming is cruel and inhumane and we urge people to call on all companies to boycott Inghams and any other producers that uses these cruel techniques of production.

The way to make industries more transparent is to speak out about exploitation and abuse, boycott them and contact the media. If we are silent, these industries and their abuses continue happily in secrecy. Apathy and ignorance of the public are the industries best friend.

We urge people to write to editors in their local newspapers, parliamentarians, write to the media and anyone who will listen about the terrible abuses these sentient beings suffer.

Also contact Ighams chickens

http://www.inghams.com.au/enterprises/sitedocument.aspx?docId=694 

To read about the Hidden Lives of Chicken

http://www.goveg.com/f-hiddenliveschickens.asp

A great way to help chickens is not to eat them.

Don't switch to beef,

Go Vegan