Food Inc and chicken coops

[nadinbrzezinski]

well I got to say this. When I was much younger I worked at a Kibbutz in a chicken coop. They had several types of coops, essentially six hen houses. One was truly a research hen house, run with the University of Tel Aviv. Three were "free range" hen houses, where the hens were able to walk around, had light coming in, and were fed out of central feeders. But these hens were free to move around and essentially were good producers. Then two of them were not "free range," but they were confined and were not as good producers.

Now they were bad in some ways, but nothing like Food Inc showed up, and there is more. Those hens were treated fairly well, compared to what I just saw. I knew things were bad, but they've gotten much worst. This is what we are now facing, a food system that is all but good. It is time to realize that we are at this turn of attitudes...

[Skink]

1. After watching that I cannot believe there haven't been more serious outbreaks of disease in

this country.

Of course type 2 diabetes is becoming an epidemic. Only now are we seeing products boasting of no HFCS.

My biggest concern is that we can go by organic labeling. What if the FDA gets paid off by the big food corporations to let everything be labeled as such.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. One reason I GO to my local Farmer's Market

these days, and try to buy local.

I have not made the move to buying chickens from him, but I may just try.

[zeemike]

3. I just watched it last week.

And it is shocking what little regard this industry has for it's product.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Yeah, when I worked at the Kibutz

we were told specifically, you are eating the same eggs that come form the coop. Hell we did every morning.

So when an animal died, we treated the carcass with respect. I particularly remember one rooster, he was a character.

We also were told to respect the animals, and not to abuse them.

And there was true concern for the animals...

This is not what I am seeing. From what I understand is that they stopped the confined cages and went to just free range. The chickens are happier, and damn they are better producers. So it makes sense to treat them well.

Oh and these days when I go to the farmer's market, I ask questions on how the chickens are treated. You can tell, they know from the question asked that yes, been there, done that.

[mzteris]

13. "The chickens are happier,

and damn they are better producers. So it makes sense to treat them well."


Reminds me of what I used to tell employers about employees. . . treat them well

[krispos42]

5. My poli-sci class is watching this now.

It's, um, interesting...

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Well they should also read Upton Sinclair

we have come full circle.

[RandomThoughts]

7. Great Cartoon in your signature. :)

Draggin' The Line
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Vp1EGCYlQ

Because some shoot, and some dig.

[Arctic Dave]

8. Just finished watching it.

When I was in high school I worked in a butcher shop, I seen nothing in this program that remotely resembles how we treated our food back then.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Same here... and lord knows that rooster and I didn't like each other

but kick him? NEVER...

[AzNick]

10. What bothered me even more is the use of illegals

To avoid using union workers.

My heart sank when the lady said the job used to be done by African Americans and now illegal Hispanic workers do the job.

I mean, picking up chicken is hard a job as it is, but it is a job, and currently African Americans suffer twice as much as Caucasians do from the job crisis.

And how immigration services comes and picks up illegals when they've stayed and worked in the US long enough.

All to keep jobs away from Americans and to avoid risking seeing a union appear at the meat factory.

[Luminous Animal]

11. Please don't say "illegals". These workers are human beings.

[AzNick]

12. I know they are... duh...

But they are illegally in the United States and therefore I call them "Illegals".

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Nothing personal but those "ilegals"

are here because of NAFTA... and the same companies that abuse them here, took their livelihood there.

So it is a full circle.

By the way, how about ENFORCING the 1986 immigration law? Not going after the people but FINING THE COMPANIES 10K per person they hire? How about them apples?

[mzteris]

14. "free range" - people don't typically understand

what this means. You get a picture in your head of chickens just wandering around some nice "chicken pasture" (lol) like some bucolic cows or something.

The "hen house" may be bigger and there aren't the "cages", but the conditions aren't great there either, typically.

If I still ate meat, I'd be very careful where it came from. Between the hormones, the antibiotics, the disease, and then the meat-packing conditions - I'm surprised more people don't get sick.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. I know exactly what free range is

of course there is free range and free range.

[mzteris]

19. oh - I didn''t mean you!!

I'm talking about people who've never even seen a live chicken thinks!

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. Oh I understand but there is indeed a difference

and what is allowed is down right criminal.

Free range can be a coop with no light or air circulation...

They did not even consider that, as it would be cruel.

[flvegan]

17. Battery hens are, without a doubt, the most abused animals by number.

Egg production is abysmal proof of what we've become as a species.

[Robbien]

18. That chicken farmer who couldn't let the cameras in

had a look on his face which told the whole story. He knows how wrong it all is but couldn't do a thing about it. He looked like he wanted the public to know and wished he wasn't under the thumb of Food Inc.