Give a Little Bird a Break!

Chickens are probably the most abused animals on Earth. They are shy, sensitive birds who love to dustbathe, sit in the sun, and roost in trees, but chickens on today’s factory farms don’t get to do any of these things. They are crammed into crowded, filthy, windowless sheds with thousands of other birds. Disease, smothering, and heart attacks (yep, that’s right, heart attacks!) are common in these sheds, where each bird lives in a space that is smaller than a sheet of paper. That would be like living your whole life in a space that’s smaller than a bath towel and having to share that space with your entire family. You can’t even take a 10-minute car ride without fighting with your brother or sister at least twice, so just imagine how awful that would be!

Because chickens are kept in stressful and crowded conditions, they sometimes peck each other out of frustration. To prevent pecking, farmers make birds undergo a painful process called debeaking when they are tiny chicks. During debeaking, a hot blade is used to cut the edge of their beaks off, and they are not even given any painkillers to ease their suffering.

Chickens form lasting friendships and have very strong family ties. Did you know that mother chickens even talk to their babies while they’re still in the eggs? After the chicks are born, their mothers carefully watch over them. But chickens on factory farms never get a chance to care for their babies. To find out more about the lives of chickens who are raised for food, order a copy of our “A Chicken’s Life” comic book today.

Turkeys

Turkeys get a bad rap! People think that these beautiful, social, resourceful birds are dumb, but actually, they’re pretty smart. Have you ever tried to sneak up on a turkey? It’s pretty much impossible because they have such a wide field of vision—about 270 degrees—and great hearing.

Turkeys communicate with each other in many different ways—both vocally and with body language. They have amazing eyesight and can even see colors that humans can’t. And contrary to popular belief, turkeys do not drown when it rains.

Did you know that turkeys enjoy music? The rescued turkeys at Farm Sanctuary gather around the radio and “sing” to the music. They are especially fond of the flute … who knew? And if you give an apple or a small ball to a group of turkeys, they’ll play with it together, kinda like they’re on a football or soccer team.

But turkeys who are raised for food don’t get to spend their time listening to music or playing ball. Like chickens, turkeys are crammed by the thousands into filthy, windowless sheds, where they often suffer from diseases and heart attacks. They are also debeaked and declawed without painkillers when they are very young.

There’s no reason to eat chickens or turkeys because there are lots of yummy meat alternatives out there, and many of them are right in your local grocery store! So next time Mom’s heading to the store, ask her to pick up some delicious Tofurky, Yves Deli Slices, Gardenburger’s Chik’N Wings, or Chickettes instead of our feathered friends.