CageFree and FreeRange
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It Is Our Job to Fight for All of Them, Not Only Some of Them
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The Hatchery Investigation--Not Just for "Factory Farms"
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Undercover: Chicks Ground Up Alive for Egg Industry
Banning Shipment of Cruel Images, While Still Shipping Cruelty Itself
Published August 07, 2009 @ 03:08PM PT
So apparently, the U.S. Postal Service is considering a ban on publications that include advertisements for cockfighting. That's a good thing, right? Of course. But--well, before we get to the "but," let's take a look at the news itself. From the Associated Press:
The U.S. Postal Service has proposed banning cockfighting advertising from being sent through the mail.
Legal cockfighting ended in the U.S. last year when Louisiana outlawed it. But two magazines dedicated to the practice -- The Gamecock and Grit and Steel -- still are published.
The Postal Service has proposed labeling publications with ads for fighting birds or accessories as ''unmailable.'' The agency says it will take comment on the proposal through the first week of September.
A Film That Will Change Hearts and Save Lives--And How You Can Help
Published June 28, 2009 @ 06:12AM PT
Those of us who were moved by the first version of Peaceable Kingdom--including so many of us whose lives were forever and dramatically changed by Peaceable Kingdom--have been anxiously awaiting the new, improved, even more powerful second version. Filmmakers James LaVeck and Jenny Stein have been laboring for years over the project, and much to the excitement of a lot of people, the film is finally finished.
If you're signed up for the Tribe of Heart newsletter and for updates on the film, you know this already, but if not, here are the details (with a preview of the film at the end of the post):
The Love of Louie and Libby
Published June 22, 2009 @ 08:08AM PT
I am not going to suggest that you read this story. I am not going to ask that you read this story. I am going to beg you, plead with you, to read this story shared by Joanna of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary.
Particularly if you are someone who doubts the depths of emotions animals feel, who doubts the way they love one another and build specific, chosen relationships as we do, who is unsure of how unique each individual is and how deep the bonds between them go, who thinks that they are distinctly different from us--please read this.
We could change little bits in this story, and it would read just like the story of a devoted elderly human couple, a pair of soulmates connected in ways only they can fully understand, in ways that make their lives worth living. It is a story we can all relate to--about love and about the things we do, the sacrifices we make, the care we provide, and the lengths we go to for the ones we love and wish to protect.
But Libby and Louie are not humans. They are chickens. And their story is nothing short of remarkable. It will swell your heart and bring tears to your eyes. It will change the way you think about chickens. It will change the way you think about "chicken"--and eggs, given how hens suffer and die for them, given how Libbie herself suffered so much for them. I hope it will change the way that you eat.
A preview, if you feel you need one:
Rescuing to Kill: The Compassionate Hypocrite
Published June 20, 2009 @ 09:20PM PT
In an interview just published, Catherine Friend, author of the gratingly titled The Compassionate Carnivore, had this to say about the four "beef steers" she purchased when they were newborns--just one day old:
They’re very friendly and come galloping up to us. We’ll butcher them in the fall...
Let's just stop there for a moment, to take in the way Friend so casually transitioned from commentary on how affectionate and trusting the calves are to how she, in return, plans to have their throats slit, their limbs hacked off, their bodies skinned, and pieces of them sold as beef and leather. Wow. OK, continue:
They’re very friendly and come galloping up to us. We’ll butcher them in the fall and, hopefully, buy four more. A lot of farms have bull calves and have no use for them. We like rescuing calves and giving them a good life for about a year. Yes, they go to butcher, but they have had a darned good time while they are here.
Pardon me, Mary, but...
Bullshit.
Cracking the Cruelty During National Egg Month: Pledge to Go Egg-Free!
Published May 24, 2009 @ 12:19PM PT
Following is a guest post from COK executive director Erica Meier. Please note that though this post focuses on what life is like for hens in battery cages (and that's where the majority of egg-laying hens experience their suffering), the pledge is to go egg-free for 30 days--because as anyone who's been reading this blog in the last several months knows, cage-free and free-range are not nearly free of cruelty. So in this final week of the industry's "Egg Month," make your compassionate pledge for the next 30 days and get your action pack from COK; you'll learn it's easy enough to kick the habit for good. -S. Ernst
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As kids, most of us probably sang along to some version of "Old MacDonald's Farm" ("...and on his farm he had some chickens...ee-i-ee-i-o..."). It's a fun song that helps children learn about different animals, but it also makes a long-lasting impression about how farmed animals are raised, so it's no surprise that as adults, we still conjure up images of these animals romping around on idyllic green pastures while happily clucking, mooing, or oinking. Little, however, could be further from the truth-and some of the worst abuses of farmed animals are taking place on today's egg factory farms.
Order 12 Baby Chicks for Easter, Get 2 Dead Babies Free!
Published April 09, 2009 @ 03:28AM PT
Alternate title: "No Eggs for Easter Please"
The primary title isn't a joke. The exclamation-mark excitement is sarcastic, of course. But the offer, though not worded in such terms, is quite real (and truly, it's more of a 1:1 deal if you consider what happens before your order ships out in addition to what you actually see in the box). For a couple months now, I've been sitting on a list of links and a plan to at some point write about the hatcheries whose Web sites provide all the details you could want about ordering live chicks, whether for your large-scale egg farm or for your backyard. And with Easter egg excitement and baby chick mania upon us, this seems like the time to have this discussion.
Free-Range Pasture Systems Not a Viable Solution
Published March 24, 2009 @ 07:02AM PT
The following is part 2 of a four-part post by guest contributor Harold Brown. See the first part here. -SE
I have noticed a few things in recent articles and conversations that I would like to share my two cents on.
First, many people think that if we do give up eating meat, whether for health, environmental, or ethical/moral reasons, we will be overrun with feral farm animals. The reality is that all farm animals are purpose-bred. I seriously doubt that the world will stop eating animals and their by-products by the end of the week, which means we have to look at animal agriculture for what it is: a food supply system. In other words, as demand goes down, the herd and flock densities go down. Nearly all farm animals are artificially inseminated, regardless of the size of the operation. AI (artificial insemination) not only guarantees impregnation, but also allows for controlling the genome or bloodline with the most favorable traits and genetics. This is highly desirable to animal producers. If a producer doesn't have the demand, then he/she will not be calling the AI guy as often. Some farm animals, if they were to become feral, wouldn't be able to survive in most of the United States. Humans have manipulated their structures to the point that, say, pigs no longer have the back fat to allow them to survive cold winters. Quite honestly, the farm animals we recognize today are mere caricatures of their ancestors. Shadows of what God created. Now some people will say that the heritage breeds will be the answer. Not really, and here is why.
