Are free-range chickens really happier? I mean they're still going to die....?

Question

Where are they going anyway? No where.

Answer 1

You're going to die. Does that mean the quality of your life doesn't matter?

Answer 2

They may all die in the end and end up in a bucket all golden fried and crispy next to bunch of chicken's parts they don't even know, but I would imagine that being "free" would make a chicken a bit happier than being all "couped" up. Scientists say chickens can't think. So if they never were "free" they will not know the difference. But I think they can see the grass on the other side and would really like to get there due to instinct and natural grazing behavior. I believe to a chicken, the grubs are always plumper on the other side. I say what the Cluck! Let 'em run!

Answer 3

Well I don't know about happier. I mean How happy can a chicken be? Do they sit around and think "Boy life is good, pecking at the ground to eat small stones because I don't have any teeth to properly chew my food." What free range gives you the consumer is a good thoughts that this poor little ground pecking flightless bird was not shoved into a small box with ten other poor little flightless birds. Also you get the added benefit of not ingesting any unneeded hormones that were pumped into the bird before you eat it.

Answer 4

The problem is that the current gov. definition of "free range" can mean something as insignificant as the chickens being able to see the outdoors through a window... The only way to really know how your food is treated before it becomes your food is to find a farm and visit it or raise your own chickens. If that's not feasible, try just giving it up. There are plenty of delicious meat substitutes these days... try Whole Foods

Answer 5

Yes. They don't know that they are going to die. Would you like being crammed in a tiny cage that's so small that you can't turn around or move? Free range chickens have room to roam.

Answer 6

I don't know about the chicken being "happy" but it is definitely healthier and healthier to eat. Conventionally raised chickens are kept in restrictive cages that are overcrowded and have their beaks cut off so they can't harm one another. Then they are pumped full of anti-biotics to combat the diseases that come from too many animals living in a restricted area. They are also given growth hormones and fed food with parts of other chickens in it.

Answer 7

happy is a state of mind we all can identify as humans. is a chicken happy or not is not the appropriate question since a chicken can not communicate with us. put a group of chickens in small cages for a while and open the doors. if most of them leave the cages and do not return we can assume that they "preferred" not living like that. it really is that simple.

Answer 8

To answer this I first need to know if a chicken can calculate which degree of happiness it is experiencing. I would also need to know if a chicken is capable of experience happiness at all or if a chicken aware that it even exists. I seriously have doubts about any of it.

Answer 9

Chickens, free-range or otherwise, aren't ever happy (or sad for that matter). They are definitely going somewhere else.

Answer 10

Its proven they wild animals are under more stress/constantly afraid. Its why they taste different, because their bodies are producing alot of chemicals that are only produced during highly stressful situations.

Animals raised on a farm of coz do not have this, because they no fear for their life.

BTW, no excuse to be mean to them or treat them badly etc