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- Free range chickens have their indoor sheds be placed within the centre of their farmland, so that way a series of radiating paddocks can be created around the main unit.

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Advantages and production

Intensive or cage systems also have considerable advantages. The most outstanding feature is its high production rates, with a production of up to 300 eggs/bird/year. This production easily exceeds other systems. Another notable advantage is that birds grow faster and have better feed conversion rates. In addition to the above, another advantage is the drastic decrease in losses due to theft or predators in the area, which is a prevalent problem in other systems.

It should also be mentioned that the intensive system facilitates the control and prevention of parasitic diseases. Thanks to the type of facility where the birds are housed, constant cleaning and disinfection is done, which interrupts the cycles of the parasites. This should be taken into account for example in the case of avian coccidiosis. Avian coccidiosis has a greater presence in humid areas and its transmission is facilitated when it is perpetuated in the environment. Avian coccidiosis is perhaps the most important parasitic disease in the world today.

Difficulties

Perhaps one of the greatest difficulties of the intensive system is the cost of maintaining the facilities. On the other hand, it requires manpower in large numbers and qualified staff to carry out different operations.

(https://www.veterinariadigital.com/en/articulos/poultry-production-systems-and-facilities-in-laying-hens/)

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Poultry production systems and facilities in laying hens

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Poultry farming in the world has developed different Poultry production systems according to the conditions of each region. Here we will review...

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-In large closed buildings where the temperature, artificial lighting, ventilation, food and water are carefully controlled.
-Usually around 25,000 birds are housed together within a building but some can house up to 50,000.
-Stocking density of 38kg per square metre. (19 2 kilogram birds per meter)
-Light levels are kept low to encourage feeding.

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No antibioitcs, drugs or synthetic parasiticides are used.

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The true cost of cheap chicken

Every year, over one billion chickens are slaughtered for meat in the UK. More than 90% of these chickens are bred to grow too quickly and are reared in bare, dimly-lit and overcrowded conditions. They have little room to move around freely and perform natural behaviours like perching and preening.

Some key animal welfare concerns

When we're out shopping we're bombarded with offers on cheap chicken that seem too good to be true... and that's because they are. Cheap chicken comes at the cost of the great suffering of the millions of animals reared to produce it.

1. Fast growth

The majority of chickens are bred to grow very quickly, putting a lot of pressure on their young skeleton, muscles and organs. This can cause a lot of pain and suffering as a result of leg health issues, leading to reduced mobility, and other problems such as organ failures and even death.

What the RSPCA standards say...

RSPCA standards only allow naturally slower-growing higher welfare breeds that have a much lower risk of developing these conditions.

2. Living conditions

Many chickens live in artificially lit, bare and overcrowded conditions. These chickens lack the space, daylight and stimulation to allow them to move around freely, stay active and carry out natural behaviours. This can cause frustration and boredom, as well as negative effects on their bodies due to the inability to exercise properly. This and the constant drive to eat to satisfy the genetically fast rate of growth encourages weight gain that adds to the other health problems already linked to fast growth rates.

What the RSPCA standards say...

RSPCA standards provide chickens with more space than they get under the law or some other standards. Additionally, they insist on chickens being provided with enrichment, such as perches, hay bales and objects to peck at to provide stimulation and encourage activity. The standards also require that indoor chickens have windows for natural daylight. Additionally, free-range chickens are provided with shade and shelter on the range, including trees and bushes, which protect them from bad weather and reduce their built-in fear of predators. This makes them feel safer and encourages more of them to leave their housing and use and benefit from the range.

3. Slaughter

Up to 30% of meat chickens in the UK are still shackled upside down by the legs whilst still alive prior to being electrically stunned unconscious before slaughter, which can be distressing and cause injury. Also, around 10 per cent of the birds are not pre-stunned at all and are still conscious when they are killed.

What the RSPCA standards say...

The RSPCA's standards do not allow chickens to be shackled as routine whilst they are still alive or to be slaughtered without being effectively stunned to ensure they are unconscious.

Farm Fact - contrary to popular belief, Halal slaughter doesn't necessarily mean that animals have not been pre-stunned. Around 60 per cent of certified Halal meat is from animals stunned before slaughter. Find out more about slaughter without pre-stunning, on the RSPCA website here.

Other welfare concerns

To meet legal stocking density and other commercial requirements as well as retail demand for different sized chickens, some birds are removed for slaughter before others. This practice, which involves teams of catchers entering and moving through the shed, can be a very stressful experience for the birds and in some cases even result in death. The RSPCA standards do not allow the routine practice of thinning.

Chickens may be caught by a single leg with several birds being carried in one hand. This often causes injuries, such as broken legs and wings, which can be very painful and distressing for the chickens. In addition to requiring that staff are trained in animal handling, the RSPCA's standards also insist that birds are caught by both legs and no more than three birds may be held in each hand, or that birds are lifted individually with both hands around the body and wings.

Burns and lesions
Inactivity caused by overcrowding, lack of daylight, bare environments and health problems linked to fast growth rates contribute to ammonia burns (called hock burns) and lesions that cause discomfort. These are caused when inactive birds spend a long time sitting in poorly managed floor litter that is damp due to bird waste. The RSPCA's standards require that only naturally higher welfare, slower-growing and more active breeds are used along with more space and an interesting environment that encourages birds to move around and be active, all of which helps to reduce the risk of hock burns and similar problems.

Long journeys
Many chickens experience long transport times without food and water which can contribute to the risk of injury or health problems, such as heat exhaustion. This can even lead to an increased chance of the birds dying before they reach the abattoir. The RSPCA's standards set a maximum travel time of four hours (the maximum time in the transport crates is eight hours).

You get what you pay for

It's not just the chickens that suffer. Whilst cheap chicken might seem like a bargain these various welfare issues also mean poorer quality.

Fast growth rates have been found to contribute to conditions known as 'wooden breast' and 'white stripping' which are essentially muscle tissue disorders that negatively affect meat quality. And the stress caused by practices like thinning may be linked with increased amounts of the bacteria campylobacter.

So, do you still think cheap chicken sounds like an appetising deal?

What can you do?

Higher-welfare chicken may cost a bit more, but with good reason. That is why we believe in eating less, but eating better meat and dairy - taking care of animals and our pockets.

So, avoid the allure of those 'two for a fiver' chickens and instead trade up to one higher-welfare chicken and trade-off the other for a plant-based alternative. For more trade-up and trade-off ideas, check out our eat less, eat better page.

RSPCA Assured chicken is available at Sainsbury's, Co-op, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Morrisons and other independent retailers. If you can't find RSPCA Assured labelled chicken in your supermarket, you can use our Lobby your Supermarket tool to let them know that you want to buy RSPCA Assured in the future.

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Welfare issues of chickens raised for meat in the UK

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The true cost of cheap chicken Every year, over one billion chickens are slaughtered for meat in the UK. More than 90% of these chickens are bred to grow too quickly and are reared in bare, dimly-lit and overcrowded conditions. They have little room to move around freely and perform natural behaviours like perching and preening.

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Organic farming, is an agricultural system that uses ecologically based pest controls and biological fertilizers derived largely from animal and plant wastes and nitrogen-fixing cover crops.

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Organic farming, is an agricultural system that uses ecologically based pest controls and biological fertilizers derived largely from animal and plant wastes and nitrogen-fixing cover crops.

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RSPCA assured - welfare standards for meat chicken

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RSPCA assured - welfare standards for meat chicken

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https://science.rspca.org.uk/documents/1494935/9042554/RSPCA+welfare+standards+for+meat+chickens+%288.48+MB%29.pdf/e7f9830d-aa9e-0908-aebd-2b8fbc6262ea?t=1557668435000

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Stocking density:

10 chickens/21kg per square metre

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Slow growing
- can't grow more than 45g daily.

Slow growing produces healthier birds with less fat. This is ultimately beneficial to humans as they are consuming 'better'/ healthier meat

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Provides above legal level housing standards while still maintaining a high output. RSPCA assured is a middle ground between production and welfare. Chickens are still raised indoor at a stock density at average of 29kg per m2. They must be provided environmental enrichment. The floor must be easy to clean such as concrete with a covering of litter such as wood chip that must be maintained and kept dry.

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Low stock density of 13 birds per square meter with access to outdoor areas. Contains enrichments and natural light to perform natural growth and behaviours along with a healthy body.

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Food:
-chickens must be fed a wholesome, they must:
Be appropriate for thair strain.
Satisfy nutritional needs.
Be available at all times.
Keep them in good health.
-there must be a written recorded of nutrition content of food.
-feeders must be uniformly and evenly distributed.
-water must be fresh, clean and available at all times.

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Housing
The chickens require outdoor access even if it’s for a limited time only.They’ll need pop holes to allow them free roaming.
In free range systems the chickens will have no more than 13 birds a square meter.

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Health and Welfare
They can't be shackled and they have to be stunned to make sure they are unconscious before they are killed.
They need to get routinely health checked and be given enrichment.

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29kg per m2

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Stocking density
27.5 kg/m2

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- outdoor access must be minimum of 10% of the inside space
- they must have 1.5sq ft per chicken

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the RSPCA assured system seeks to make sure that the 5 welfare needs are met for by focusing on 5 specific areas:
-caring and responsible planning and management
-skilled, knowledgeable and conscientious stockmanship
-appropriate environmental design
-considerate handling and transport
-humane slaughter.

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Animals that are farmed organically are given access to the outside at all times and are reared in small flocks without the use of chemicals.
The barns they are kept in would be similar to that in a free range system, some room to move around as well as enrichment within the housing.
To ensure that the chickens welfare needs are being met, RSPCA, Animal Welfare Approved and Certified humane all certify that the system is meeting the needs of the animal. this leads to organic systems having a higher level of welfare compared to the chickens in a more intensive production system.
They live off a diet of strictly organic foods without any additives to ensure that the chickens themselves are considered organic

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Diet
A free range meat chickens diet will mainly consist of pellets and corn. However, because they have access to the outside they will also be able to eat grass, insects fruits and vegetables found naturally in their environment.

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From hatching to age 6-8 weeks, chicks will be fed an organic chick crumb on a free access basis. From around the age of 6 weeks, the organic chicken crumb should be gradually weaned out of the chickens diet by mixing half the chicken crumb with an organic poultry grower/finisher until about 16 weeks old. After 16 weeks, most chickens are classed as an adult and can be fed a full organic adult diet of crumble or pellets. These foods are completely organic and contain no additives or chemicals.

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The chickens are reared in large closed buildings, where temperature, artificial lighting, ventilation, food and water are carefully controlled
given food and water in lines along the length of the building, floor is wood shavings

About 25,000-50,000 chickens are housed together within a building, there can be several buildings on a farm.

Most birds are reared at a stocking density 38kg per square metre, which is around 19 2kg chickens for each square metre of floor space.

Light levels can be kept low to encourage the birds to eat more and move less, which makes them grow faster
Max Bailey

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30kg (19 chickens) per m2

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Best birds for free range;

1. Cornish cross

2. Jersey giants

3. Bresse

4. Freedom rangers

5. Egyptian Fayoumi

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How it works: Chicks are raised in a poultry shed in large numbers, around 10k. In the shed there is an automatics nesting system in which hen lay eggs in a way they can be automatically collected 🥚 up to 50k can be housed if they several buildings on the farm. 🐓
Health and welfare: most chickens endure long transport times without food and water which leads to health issues such as heat exhaustion 🚛
Diet: corn and soybean without any added protein
More than 60billion chickens are killed annually for human consumption

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hens have freedom and space to move around within a building

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Most meat chickens are reared in large closed buildings, where temperature, artificial lighting, ventilation, food and water are carefully controlled. Food and water is given in line troughs that line the barns and they are generally kept on shavings.

Typically, around 25,000 birds are housed together within a building, but some can house as many as 50,000 birds. There can be several buildings on a farm.