Farm Conditions

Skin Burns From Urine and Faeces

Burns are visible on chicken meat in supermarkets

50,000

birds may be kept together inside a single shed.

Zero

fresh litter is introduced throughout their lifetime.

74%

of chicken meat samples checked showed burns from the dirty litter.¹

What It Is

Factory farms are disgusting places, and chickens may get the worst deal of all. Tens of thousands of birds are crammed inside each warehouse-style unit. There is nothing for them to do and nowhere to go. They are overbred to grow as big as possible as fast as possible and that means all they can do is eat, grow, and excrete waste.

Inevitably, the waste builds up and the birds – many of whom are lame because of their unnaturally ballooning bodies – have no option but to sit in it, stand in it, and try to sleep among it if they can.

That waste is full of ammonia. It is an alkali that causes painful burns, blisters, and ulcers on the birds’ skin and there is nothing they can do to escape it. These burns are a clear sign of poor welfare and a strong indicator of the suffering inflicted inside factory farms. If you’ve ever noticed a black mark on chicken meat, that’s probably what it is.

The industry calls them “hock burns” but really they are piss burns.