Cruelty to farm animals has become a growing social issue due to the deplorable conditions these animals are being raised in and the effects they have on society today. Chickens are the most abused animals when it comes to factory farming methods. It all begins with the horrific means that are utilized to catch and store the birds. Bruising, broken bones and sometimes death are very common. The chickens reside in filthy warehouses with thousands of other birds. There are so many in one location they sometimes stand on top of each other. Once at the factory their beaks are burned off so they cannot peck each other to death in an attempt to escape their confinement. Their small bodies get injections of growth hormones and antibiotics that cause heart and breathing issues. The chickens are then shackled upside down from their legs and ran through water that contains an electric current rendering them helpless but not pain-free. Next, their throats are slit by a mechanical blade, or they drown in boiling vats of water used to loosen their feathers. The way these birds are treated is horrific and savage. Individual people can help to combat this cruelty by not purchasing chicken from farming factories like Tyson and other brands. However, control can be best achieved by legislation.
While the implications for the animals are evident, the impingement of the environment is obscured from the society. When thousands of animals are being raised in one location, the waste they produce is overwhelming. In a modest farm setting, the waste is spread to fertilize the land, thereby making the earth healthy. However, in a factory farm setting the millions of gallons of animal waste produced cannot all be used as fertilizer. Instead, this waste is dumped into ponds where it leaks into groundwater or runs off into streams, rivers or lakes. Thereby, contaminating these waters. Excessive amounts of waste have also been sprayed over crops poisoning them in the process.
