by Susie
More than a year ago, we learned from Joel Freedman, one of our incredible members, that Canandaigua Academy, a school near our Watkins Glen shelter in upstate New York, was allowing high school students to raise and slaughter “broiler” chickens as part of an ecology class project aimed at teaching the youth about modern meat production. “Broilers” are what the industry calls chickens raised for meat – birds who’ve been so anatomically manipulated that they reach a four-to-six-pound slaughter weight at just 42 days of age. At this time, they are still peeping babies, though they are massive in size.
Because of the cruelty inherent to this misguided project, Joel, United Poultry Concerns (UPC), Farm Sanctuary, PETA, The HSUS, and activists across the nation took different actions to raise awareness and urged school officials to consider humane alternatives. In addition, UPC and Joel hired an attorney, who found out that the school needed a waiver from the New York State Department of Education to slaughter these birds in the classroom. Incidentally, this was a waiver that the school did not have and would later be denied, resulting in the cessation of the project on December 4, 2008.
Though the project was shut down, the lives of 20 chickens (19 “broilers” and one New Hampshire Red used as a “control bird”) still hung in the balance, as they were to be slaughtered off site. However, at Joel’s urging, the superintendent called me to find out what life could be like for the birds if they were allowed to live, and I explained that despite the fact that they had been bred and fed to reach a crippling weight very quickly, chickens like these can live perfectly happy and normal lives if they receive specialized care: care that we were more than willing to provide. Fortunately, our offer was accepted and we were invited to pick the birds up that day.
After learning that the chickens were free-fed and denied room to move as birds are on factory farms, we were still shocked by the poor condition these birds were in when they arrived at the New York Shelter. They were so obese that they could barely walk – most, in fact, couldn’t walk at all. Two had to be euthanized almost immediately due to the severe leg damage they endured. Another chicken had a leg fracture – an injury, the classroom teacher told us had actually occurred weeks before. It breaks my heart that these animals were allowed to s uffer this way. Plain and simple: these students were given a lesson in cruelty where they should have been taught a lesson in compassion.
To rehabilitate the survivors, we started them on a strict diet, therapeutic foot wraps for the pressure sores on their feet, and pain medication for their swollen joints. Within a week they were more active and their fear of humans started to fade. Instead of cowering in corners, they ran to greet us, showing their curiosity by pecking at our buttons, “cleaning” snow off our boots, and laying on the charts we used to monitor their progress. The change in these beautiful birds has been incredible; they all have unique personalities and qualities that make them who they are.
Here are Kringle, Sumo and Artie - just hanging out.
Reuben poses during physical therapy.
So because I knew that the story of these extraordinary birds couldn’t just end there – that we needed to make sure that Canandaigua knew exactly what was at stake if they ever reinstated a project like this again, I wrote a letter to the superintendent and the school board, giving them an update on the birds and notifying them of the appalling state the chickens arrived in after having endured this cruel project at their school. To my great relief and surprise, I received a call from the assistant superintendent just last week, stating that live animals would never be used in this ecology classroom again. What an amazing feeling that was! Thanks to Joel, who found out about this injustice and spoke up to inspire others to take action too, precious lives were not only saved, but a class unit that once taught insensitivity and callousness has finally ended.
Silly Billy strikes a pose.
Meet handsome Vandross.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
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