Rooster in witness protectio program
Today is International Respect for Chickens Day, a day that recognizes the dignity, beauty and life of chickens and protests against the bleakness of their lives in factory farms. It was launched by United Poultry Concerns in 2005. It traces its roots back to Harry Shearer, star of The Simpsons, who proclaimed Mother’s Day in 2000 National Respect to the Chicken Day to honor the devotion mother hens have to their chicks.
The best way to respect chickens today would be to not eat them. If that means you have no idea what to eat for dinner, you could check out Meatless Monday for some good recipe ideas.
If you're going to eat chicken, at least respect the chicken by going for organic, pasture raised bird. These are sometimes difficult to find - your average corner supermarket isn't likely to have pasture raised chicken. It's best to go over to your local greenmarket - check cenyc.org to see when yours is open and which farmers are represented.
Organic is becoming more common, but even then there's some confusion over whether they're raised humanely or not. And if the chicken package says that it's "100% natural" as one friend says, that just means that it's actually a real chicken. But there's no guarantee that the chicken was raised humanely or fed a healthy diet.
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