Call me Chicken-Hearted

When we say that 45 billion land and sea animals are killed every year in the U.S. for human consumption, I don't know about you, but I can't wrap my head around that number. It's daunting. In terms of land animals alone, 10 billion animals are bred and killed for humans every year, and the death toll continues to rise. Of this number, over 9 billion are birds: chickens raised for their flesh, egg-laying hens who are no longer "productive,"turkeys, ducks, and well, rabbits (since they fall under the USDA's "poultry" category which is exempt from humane slaughter laws). Of this number, hundreds of millions die of disease, malnutrition, injury, suffocation, and stress before they even reach the slaughterhouse. They literally suffer to death. The exact numbers are not reported - they're just considered economic losses.

I often hear people say they "gave up 'beef' or 'red meat'" or that they're reducing suffering because they "only eat chicken and turkey." What they don't know is that in terms of the immense amount of suffering inherent in breeding, raising, confining, and killing animals for food is that "beef cattle" actually have it the best of all the species. Birds raised for their flesh and for their eggs live in a nightmare situation from the moment their born until the moment their sad lives are ended by a blade and/or feather-removal scalding tank. (The same applies to "dairy cows.") I urge you all to visit the links I've included below to learn more about the torture we inflict upon other species.

Ingrid Newkirk, the founder and director of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), has [facetiously] said that she wishes she had vials of red dye she could inject into chickens so that when people say they aren't eating "red meat" anymore, chickens would be included. Lovely thought, but she knows that's not realistic. What is realistic, however, is each person realizing their power to make a difference. I do believe that people do not wake up each day thinking about the ways in which they can cause suffering to sentient beings, but until we all wake up thinking about the ways we can eliminate suffering to sentient beings, it will all continue. Only a conscious awareness of the part we play will empower us to each save a life - or many lives.

If you, like me, cannot imagine what "10 billion animals killed" looks like, think of it in more personal terms: the average American meat-eater eats 2,485 chickens, 78 turkeys and ducks, 33 pigs, and 11 cows and sheep during a 75-year life span. These numbers don't even include sea animals.

GoVeg.com - Chickens
Compassionate Over Killing - Investigations
Foster Farms Investigation (Foster Farms is the largest poultry processor in the U.S.)