The Forced Labor of Chickens on the Factory Farm

Thinking Like a Chicken Podcast
News & Views!

Photo of Felix the baby rooster by Karen Davis, United Poultry Concerns July 16, 2015

In the 20th century, chickens who had formerly been bred to be “all-purpose” birds for flesh and eggs on the farm were genetically divided into two distinct “divisions of labor” – one designed for egg production, the other for meat production. In today’s episode, I discuss how today’s commercialized chickens embody the condition of forced labor whereby their bodies have been constructed pathologically to meet the demands of the labor force. Please tune in to learn more.

KAREN DAVIS, PhD is the President and Founder of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl including a sanctuary for chickens in Virginia. Inducted into the National Animal Rights Hall of Fame for Outstanding Contributions to Animal Liberation, Karen is the author of numerous books, essays, articles and campaigns. Her latest book is For the Birds: From Exploitation to Liberation: Essays on Chickens, Turkeys, and Other Domesticated Fowl published by Lantern Publications & Media.

Karen with Rainbow the rooster.
Photo by Unparalleled Suffering Photography