A new way to kill chickens

Image by V'ron via Flickr

Is the sun setting on inhumane methods at factory chicken farms?

Pennsylvania-based Bell & Evans raises chickens without antibiotics and gives them room to roam, according to its Web site. 

Now, the producer is adopting a method to kill chickens that is called far less stressful than the conventional practice of hanging them by their feet and slitting their throats while they are still alive.

Below is a link to a story in The New York Times on the new method. Contrast it with the video from the Humane Society of the United States taken inside Perdue Farms that you'll find in a previous post, Video: Humane Society sues Perdue Farms.

New way to help chickens cross to the other side

Whole Story, the official blog of Whole Foods Market, has a video showing some of the farms where it buys meat and the supermarket chain's animal-welfare standards:

What makes our meat different

On Sunday afternoon, I purchased $20 worth of frozen organic chicken feet and discounted antibiotic-free chicken quarters -- priced at $1.50 to $2.04 a pound -- at Whole Foods in Paramus, and used a $5-off coupon at checkout. It's nice to get a deal on food that is good for you.

Video: Humane Society sues Perdue Farms

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Wayne Pacelle, head of the Humane Society of the United States.

If you continue to buy and eat Perdue chicken after seeing this video, you have a strong stomach.

The Humane Society of the United States filed suit in New Jersey against Maryland-based Perdue Farms late last year after labels on chicken sold at a warehouse store claimed the poultry had been "humanely raised." It is seeking class-action status.

The suit was brought on behalf of a New Jersey woman who bought chicken at a BJ's Wholesale Club bearing the Harvestland label, a trade name used by Perdue for birds raised in Kentucky and marketed as "purely all-natural" and "humanely raised."

The suit alleges that the poultry producer's marketing violates New Jersey's consumer fraud law. The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against Perdue, as well as an injunction barring it from making claims that it treats its birds humanely.

The label is similar to those you see in the supermarket that omit any mention of Perdue's use of antibiotics to raise chickens. The Humane Society says Perdue processes 3 billion pounds of chicken a year.

Warning: The content of this video is graphic. Here is the link:

Humane Society sues Perdue