Poultry are among the most intensively farmed animals on the planet, with billions of chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese raised and slaughtered every year. In factory farms, chickens bred for meat (broilers) are genetically manipulated to grow unnaturally fast, leading to painful deformities, organ failure, and inability to walk properly. Egg-laying hens endure a different kind of torment, confined to battery cages or overcrowded barns where they cannot spread their wings, engage in natural behaviors, or escape the stress of relentless egg production.
Turkeys and ducks face similar cruelty, raised in cramped sheds with little to no access to the outdoors. Selective breeding for rapid growth results in skeletal problems, lameness, and respiratory distress. Geese, in particular, are exploited for practices such as foie gras production, where force-feeding causes extreme suffering and long-term health issues. Across all poultry farming systems, the lack of environmental enrichment and natural living conditions reduces their lives to cycles of confinement, stress, and premature death.
The methods of slaughter compound this suffering. Birds are typically shackled upside down, stunned—often ineffectively—and then slaughtered on fast-moving production lines where many remain conscious during the process. These systemic abuses highlight the hidden cost of poultry products, both in terms of animal welfare and the broader environmental toll of industrial farming.
By examining the plight of poultry, this category underscores the urgent need to rethink our relationship with these animals. It calls attention to their sentience, their social and emotional lives, and the ethical responsibility to end the widespread normalization of their exploitation.
In the shadow of industrial agriculture lies a grim reality: the cruel confinement of hens in battery cages. These cramped wire enclosures, designed solely for maximizing egg production, strip millions of hens of their basic freedoms and subject them to unimaginable suffering. From skeletal disorders and foot injuries to psychological distress caused by extreme overcrowding, the toll on these sentient beings is staggering. This article sheds light on the ethical implications and widespread prevalence of battery cages while advocating for urgent reform in poultry farming practices. As consumer awareness grows, so does the opportunity to demand more humane alternatives—ushering in a future where animal welfare takes precedence over profit-driven exploitation