Wherever you are in the world, if you want to buy food that is simultaneously safe, nutritious, protein-packed, inexpensive, readily available and above all not processed by the food industry, you are unlikely to find anything better than the chicken or chicken eggs available in supermarkets or shops served by controlled and intensively protected farms.
Indeed, there is international cooperation that deals with the necessary food security by drawing on the results of research and innovation that is constantly taking place in this sector at every latitude.
With the widespread application of the rules resulting from research, apart from a few differences related to environmental issues (very hot or very cold above all), the poultry sector is now a system that guarantees a healthy food supply and the health of consumers precisely because it constantly takes care of animal welfare. Anyone who says otherwise is in bad faith and, above all, has no serious expertise or direct experience in animal husbandry.
Breeders and researchers from all over the world are united by the fact that broiler welfare guidelines are certified by third-party inspection organisations and then widely adopted by the industry, which also serves as an additional guarantee for consumers. It often happens that many broiler breeders even add personal improvements. Yet all these things the consumer does not know. On the contrary, what little they do know is the distorted image that is often conveyed to them by activist groups who reject the idea of eating animals without presenting viable alternatives or demonstrating sustainability, especially with regard to the ability to produce food as affordable, healthy, nutritious and controlled at every point in the chain as is the case with protected poultry farms.
Whenever you buy chicken and eggs in regular distribution centres, you can therefore be sure that:
Intensively protected chickens were not subjected to strange treatments
Some labels declaring the absence of antibiotics, hormones, etc. … are applied just for emphasis and reassurance. But in reality all the chicken you buy is free of hormones, steroids or antibiotics. This has been the case for years and has even been expressly forbidden in many countries.
Today’s chickens are bigger than those of the past because…
…they receive particularly careful attention from the time they are in the egg, both because of the care given to the hens that lay them and the care given to them right up to hatching, and because of the selection from which they are derived, which a priori determines their best qualities. Advanced feeding and housing (placement in appropriate environments), constant health checks by vets throughout their lives naturally make the animals grow better and more. Mortality rates of broiler chickens are lower than ever because today’s chickens are healthier and better cared for.
Chickens are constantly monitored by veterinarians
Licensed veterinarians are trained professionals and have a professional obligation to protect the health and welfare of chickens and provide care and health and welfare programmes tailored to each flock.
Many modern farms never need a veterinary service, but the veterinarian may visit them to assess the overall management as he or she is often asked to provide assessments of biosecurity, welfare and husbandry practices. Veterinarians also train herd technicians to implement the established programme, recognise signs of disease and many other aspects that can be quickly shared with the veterinarian thanks to modern technology.
The work of veterinarians prevents the spread of diseases
Chickens within a poultry house live close to each other and if one chicken gets sick the others are at risk. Consequently, a lot of attention is paid to biosecurity to prevent diseases from entering the sheds. Health programmes include biosecurity, vaccination, disease surveillance and sanitation programmes. In addition, the veterinarian is usually responsible for training the farm representatives to recognise the signs of disease by making weekly visits.
Chickens never see a cage and any ‘cage-free’ labels on packaged chicken meat only serve to reassure the consumer, who should however know that no chicken is ever raised in cages but in large, well-ventilated and air-conditioned sheds that protect the chickens from the weather, predators, disease, allow them to interact with other chickens and provide free access to healthy food and clean water 24 hours a day.
Temperatures on modern farms are chicken-friendly, because the more chickens grow, the more the heat produced by their growing bodies increases. That is why farms today have climate control systems to keep temperatures at the most appropriate level regardless of how hot or cold it is outside.
Farmers are constantly trained to take care of chickens
In the modern poultry industry, farmers are commonly trained on animal welfare by other specifically trained and educated personnel from a variety of sources (universities, trade associations or independent laboratories).
Eggs from protected farms are healthy precisely because the laying hens are constantly monitored as well as their feed.
For further insights into the value and food safety provided by the professional poultry sector, the M.A.C. editorial team invites you to browse this blog which contains simple and accurate information and many answers to the questions https://moreaboutchicken.com/faq-frequently-asked-questions/ people often ask about how this sector works.
The editorial staff of M.A.C.
