Industrial breeding >impossible to move wings >hens eat the other hen feather
The Bankiva cock of the Asian forest of 5000 years ago is far away when we look at the current hens! We pushed to the extreme the taming and the selection. So much that today we made with chicken a major importance source of food for the humanity. What irony that the hen, because of our trades at the world level, becomes a threat through the bird flu! What have we made? Have we something to say as consumers?
Take care, the reality can hurt you...
Since the 1960s we increased the breeding productivity to the point that the hen become a convenience good. Who says more productivity says prices decrease, the increase of the consumption but also the hybrid selection of breeds. The after world war 2 new lifestyle after war, the economic model with the mass consumption brought us to some production and breeding ways divested of any consideration for animals (see video to the right). The poultry farmers breeds were replaced and only the small breeders allow these heritage saving. The fear of the bird flu and its mediatization made irreparable damages for amators, some of them eliminated their livestock and so destroyed some complete genetic lineages. Wake up is slow but more and more consumers bring an inverssement of tendency by buying according to the quality and labels. Certain countries as Switzerland forbade the breeding in cage, Europe wants to forbid it in 2012. People return slowly to the traditional breeding and rediscover the hens. To have hens in its garden becomes a true act militating against the "bad eating ways" and for the animals good living . Swamp with the ironisme you can find cages sell to private people to raise in cage!! Avoid this kind of method, let us find our values and the tastes of the past.
Biobreeding >6 hens per ²m >18cm perch per hen
For more information and documentations visit the website
PMAF http://www.pmaf.org/
Some figures: - Surface for a hen in cage= the surface of a A4 sheet (21cm x 29,7cm) - Daily Weight gain for a fattening chicken : 52g or twice more than in the 1960s. - Food consumed by the laying hen to produce an egg: 135g against 200g in 1950. - Number of eggs produced in a year: 320 eggs against 197 in the 1950s - Number of days for a chicken to arrive at the end of growth:41 days against 120 days 30 years ago.
Industrial breeding >4 to 5 hens per cage >artificial light
Outside breeding >9 to 12 hens per ²m >15cm perch per hen
Bio breeding and outside breeding hens have nests
What did we do to chickens?
Generalities Races To understand chickens French law and the cock Books A good start Rings Anatomy Food Reproduction First page Hen house Health Make it the egg The hen and you
links hen house generalities races a good start rings anatomy to understand chickens golden book The hen and you
health reproduction law and cock food What have we done to chickens? make it Contacts first page Mention Légales
Français / Anglais French / English
the egg an Orpingtonmania website Golden book LinksPoultry will have no secret for you, welcome.