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The data from 1920 and before are taken from Michell (1935), data between 1920 and 1928 are from Statistical Abstracts of the U.S. and the subsequent data are from NASS yearly reports. The three data series do not refer to the exact same goods or use the same sampling methodology, but no one identical data series covers the entire time period.
Figure ?.1. The Five Freedoms: Farm animals should be provided with … • freedom from thirst, hunger, or malnutrition; • appropriate comfort and shelter; • prevention, or rapid diagnosis and treatment, of injury and disease; • freedom to display most normal patterns of behaviour; • freedom from fear
Figure ?.3. Does Profitability Ensure High Welfare? Many witnesses have represented to us that the growth rate of an animal for meat or the egg production of a laying hen are the only reliable objective measures of their welfare. It is claimed that animal suffering of any kind is reflected by a corresponding fall in productivity. The argument is that in the absence of any scientific method of evaluating whether an animal is suffering, its continued productivity should be taken as decisive evidence that it is not. This is an oversimplified and incomplete view and we reject it. Source: Brambell Report, 1965, pages 10-11, bold font added.
Figure ?.4. Hen Space Needs Versus Space Provisions in Cage Systems Four hens in 300 sq. in. of space 300 sq. in. * 0.64 = 192 sq. in. area * 0.64 = Some farms provide hens with only 48 square inches per bird (48*4 = 192 square inches for four birds), which is 64% of the space needed to stand comfortably. Four hens standing comfortably in 75 square inches of space each (75*4 = 300 square inches total space) Cage systems require these four birds to share the space given by the blue triangle. Obviously, this makes for cramped spaces.
Figure ?.5. Increasing Bird Space Allotment From 48 To 67 Square Inches Enhances Bird Welfare In cage systems with 48 sq. in. per bird, these four bids must be crammed into an area the size of the blue square. By increasing the per bird space allotment to 67 square inches, the United Egg Producers come much closer to meeting the birds’ space needs.
Figure ?.6. A 67 Square Inch Per Bird Cage Meets Some Space Needs But Not Others While the 67 sq. in. allotment provides adequate space for standing, but… …birds need 303 sq. in. to flap their wings comfortably. If all four birds tried to flap their wings simultaneously, these birds would have to do so within the confines of the blue box (the blue box is 22% the size of the four birds (67/303 = 0.22).
Figure ?.7. Traditional Veal Stall System (left) Versus Newer Group Pen System (right) Left picture was made available by Farm Sanctuary, and right picture by the American Veal Association.
Figure ?.8. Importance of Livestock Production Practices as Perceived by U.S. Consumers Source: Prickett, Norwood, and Lusk, 2008.
Figure ?.9. Farrowing Using Individual Huts In Pasture I own these pictures
Figure ?.10. 1934 Hog Farm (left) & Contemporary Non-Confinement Hog Facility (right) Left picture is in public domain at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PigPenacp.jpg and I own right picture
Gestation Group Pen Gestation Crate Farrowing Crate Finishing Floor Figure ?.11. Modern Hog Confinement Facility (Factory Farm) I own all these pictures
Figure ?.12. The Factory Hog Farm Today Compared to a Stylized “Old-Style” Farm System
Figure ?.13. Scientific Assessment of the Modern Factory Hog Farm Across Four Studies Notes: The system circled refers to the modern factory hog farm, and the other farm systems are alternatives to the factory hog farm. The y-axis denotes the welfare of pregnant sows in each system, where a higher value denotes a happier hog. Source: Bracke et al., 2002.
Farrowing Stage Gestation Stage Finishing Stage Confinement-Stall System (factory farm) Confinement-Pen System (factory farm) Confinement-Enhanced System Pasture-Shelter System Figure ?.14. Illustration of Four Hog Farm System
Figure?.15. Welfare and Costs of Four Hog Farm System a The rating can receive a score of very low, low, medium, high, or very high. Some farms receive a range of scores to reflect the heterogeneity within that farm type. b Based on the authors judgment, as informed by the scientific literature.
Figure?.16. Illustration of Egg Production Systems Cage System – 67 sq. in. per bird (76 sq. in. for brown birds), barren cage, small group size Barn System – 324 sq. in. per bird floor space, perches, litter, sawdust, nests, large group size (with or without free-range) Aviary System – 144 sq. in. floor space per hen, 324 sq. in. floor & tier space per hen, litter, sawdust, nests, multiple tiers, large group size (with or without free-range) Enriched Cage System – 117 sq. in. per bird, barren cage, small group size
Figure ?.17. White Leghorn (left) hens are typically used in cage systems, while brown birds like the Rhode Island Red (below) are typically used in cage-free systems.
Figure ?.18. Editorial From a Farmer Criticizing Free-Range Systems Dear Editor: The chickens of California are the latest victims of Paul Shapiro and the Humane Society of the United States’ Factory Farming Campaign. It is cruel to subject chickens to the less humane and substandard conditions the so-called animal rights people want. Hens die two to three times as fast under the cage-free conditions championed by the so-called animal rights people. This is a proven fact, and gathered data show this. What looks good to humans does not work as well for chickens. Safety pens (cages) protect hens from killing one another, eating their own feces, big temperature changes and diseases caused by lack of protection other systems fail to provide. We quit using the systems wanted by the so-called animal rights people when we found that cages worked better for the hens. This was 40-50 years ago. We recently tried these systems again, and they still don’t work as well for hens. Only those who are clueless, those who have been lied to or those who are misguided about hen welfare want to ban cages. Knowledgeable and caring people want to keep hens in cages until a better system is found, because having hens in cages is the right thing to do for the chickens. Anthony Rust Executive Vice President Rose Acre Farms Printed in Feedstuffs on January 12, 2008. It is important to note that this farmer raises eggs in both cage and cage-free systems.
Figure ?.19. Mortality Rates Across Housing Systems in the U.S. Source: personal conversations with poultry experts and a variety of publications.
Figure ?. Photos of Chicken Coops In 1939. Both coops were probably used for egg and meat production. Photos under public domain and available at http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?fsaall:19:./temp/~ammem_BqK8:: and http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?fsaall:4:./temp/~ammem_BqK8::
Figure ?. The Modern Broiler Factory Farm Both photos taken by Bailey
Figure ?. Pastured Broiler Production Pictures of a pastured chicken operation. The broilers are afforded 1.26 square feet per bird, constant food and water, the shelter seen above, and a fulltime sheep dog standing guard. The shelter is periodically moved to fresh grass. Pasture production does not take place in winter in some areas.
Figure ?. Veal Calves in Stalls Picture made available by Farm Sanctuary (left) and Compassion in World Farming (middle right). Figure ?. Veal Calves in Group Housing Pictures made available by the American Veal Association
Figure ?. Dairy Farm Pictures Picture on bottom right taken by Vaarok at Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herdim.JPG
Figure ?. Cow-Calf Pair, Stocker Calves on Wheat, and Feedlot
Figure ?. Disease and Cannibalism Across Egg Housing Types Source: Lundeen, Tim, 2009
