KFC: better treatment for chickens? Uh?

Actress Pamela Anderson urges KFC boycott



LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Pamela Anderson joined an animal rights campaign against fast-food chain KFC Thursday, urging a consumer boycott of the franchise until it ensures better treatment of its chickens.
'If people knew how KFC treats chickens, they'd never eat another drumstick,' the Canadian-born former 'Baywatch' beauty wrote in an open letter circulated by the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The letter was addressed to John Bitove, chairman of the Toronto-based company Priszm Brandz, which owns the Canadian franchise to KFC, a division of Yum Brands Inc.
'What KFC does to 750 million chickens each year is not civilized or acceptable,' she wrote. 'I am calling for a boycott of all KFC restaurants until my friends at PETA tell me that you have agreed to be kinder in your practices.'


A Priszm Brandz spokeswoman, Alessandra Saccal, dismissed claims that the chickens sold in its KFC outlets are mistreated.


'We purchase our chickens from the same place that grocery stores and other restaurants purchase their chickens from, and the chicken farmers of Canada are very responsible and take the welfare of animals very seriously,' she said.

In July, PETA filed suit against KFC, accusing the company of making misleading statements on its Web site regarding how the chickens it sells are treated. PETA contends that the chickens KFC buys from suppliers are abused through drugging, feeding and slaughter practices.

Anderson is not the first celebrity to join PETA's cause against Louisville, Kentucky-based KFC. Former Beatle Paul McCartney appealed to the fast-food chain in July to ensure better treatment of its chickens in a PETA ad.


Ok, does any one else find this ridiculous? I mean, this is the place that kills chickens and makes meals out of them! What does PATA mean by ' treating the chickens better'? Feeding them caviar and THEN killing them? I think they are missing the big picture here: no matter how nice the chicken is treated, it's still going to be fried and eaten in a few days!

There are actually very different 'humane' levels when it comes to this industry.

I am a former vegetarian (hypocrite, I know..) but in my day I read up a LOT about everything having to do with how animals are treated before they are killed. There are DEFINITELY 'nicer' ways of killing them then what is commonly practiced by such major industries as KFC.

If you'd like me to go into more detail, I'd be glad to, but I don't know how much the 'stomachs' out there can handle the gory details. You'd be surprised.

I'm vegetarian (borderline vegan) for that exact reason. The way that these animals are treated during the course of their life is disgusting, and it makes for nasty meat. They way that they are raised and killed is EXTREMELY painful and inhumane.

I guess it's the diff. between someone
#1: killing me in my sleep now, or
#2: raising me in a filthy, cramped factory environment, torturing me and then carelessly killing me so that I die a slow and painful death.

I'd take #1 anyday (although I'd prefer neither-that's why I'm veg)

I too could go into more detail for, or happily send information to, anyone interested.

Edited to add: the farmers market sells mostly humanely raised/killed meats from small farmers. much better.

Actually, chickens are absolutely nowhere near 'cockroach level', and if you've ever seen a chicken killed, or in pain-you'd know that they feel it and are perfectly aware of what's going on. They aren't as stupid as you think. (That argument, unfortunately, used to be the argument for not improving the horrible asylums that held people with developmental disabilities too).

Actually, this study was interesting:

Chickens, scientists now realize, do more than just cluck-cluck-cluck. They make sounds with actual meaning.

They are not only aware of their audience, they play to it. They don't broadcast warnings, for instance, if there are no other chickens around. And roosters, in particular, like a female audience and aren't opposed to using trickery to get one -- giving 'food over here' calls, for instance, when there's no food nearby, in order to lure in an attractive hen.

Does this sound familiar? Once past the almost irresistible tendency to make chicken jokes, studies stand as yet another reminder of how unexpectedly complex and capable other species may be, and how many qualities our own species shares with them -- even with (gulp) chickens.


But, from personal experience too, I can tell you-chickens feel pain.

Edited to add: just because you don't understand something's language (like that horrible squawk chickens make when they know they are about to be killed), doesn' t mean it has no meaning.