Meat chickens
Back in 1950, chicken was such a treat that most British people ate less than a kilo in a whole year. Now, we eat almost 2 kg per month (23kg in a year on average).
Live fast, die young
Chickens will naturally live for 6 or more years. Under intensive farming methods, a meat chicken will live less than six weeks before slaughter.
Free-range chickens will usually be slaughtered at 8 weeks and organic at around 12 weeks.
Intensive farming
In the Chicken shed
Intensive production methods typically keep meat chickens in
overcrowded conditions where many of their natural behaviours cannot be
expressed.
Their ability to exercise, forage for food, dust-bathe and perch are restricted.
This causes chickens serious physical and
psychological discomfort.
There are a number of welfare issues for meat chickens.