People may not throw parties or parades or have brunches or barbecues to commemorate International Respect for Chickens Month, as they do for Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, Memorial Day and other observances in May _ but perhaps they should. Chickens deserve compassion and respect. We should appreciate these smart, social birds for their personalities, not for the taste of their flesh.
Chickens and humans have a lot in common. Both feel pain and experience joy and love. Both form strong family ties and communicate constantly with others of their species. Chickens have at least 24 distinct vocalizations, so other birds know whether they're warning them about a predator or just saying, "Hey." When hens aren't confined to factory farms, they lovingly tend to their eggs and "talk" to their unhatched chicks, who chirp back while they're still in the shell.
Male chickens are known to strut around to impress females and show other males who's the boss. Know any men like that?
Experts in chicken behavior say that these birds can count, anticipate the future and demonstrate self-control. Like humans, they show empathy for one another and mourn when they lose a loved one.
Was there ever any reason to think that they don't?
Like humans, chickens engage in social and rejuvenating activities. While humans might go to a spa or play in the sand at the beach, chickens take dust baths _ immersing themselves in dirt or sand and emerging refreshed, shaking the dirt off their feathers and rushing off to the next activity, just like dogs rolling in the grass, shaking off and running around.
These birds have distinct personalities as well as unique likes and dislikes. For example, Dorothy, an injured chicken rescued by PETA employees, is fond of pizza topped with vegan cheese and vegetables _ just like her rescuers are. When she was found, she had an exposed bone in her wing, but as soon as she healed, she was moved into a sanctuary with other chickens and found her place at the top of the pecking order. She keeps the other chickens in check and is vocal about her salad preferences: Add some grated carrots, but hold the green apples, please. At night, she walks up a ramp to her coop to tuck herself in.
But because humans like the taste of chicken flesh, billions of personable birds like Dorothy are confined to filthy, severely crowded sheds. They're bred and drugged to grow so large so quickly that their legs and organs can't keep up, and many of them suffer from leg deformities, organ failure and heart attacks. Chickens aren't included in the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act _ the only federal law that offers any sort of protection to farmed animals. At slaughter, they're typically shackled upside down, their throats are slit and many are scalded and dismembered while they're still conscious.
The good news is that we can do something to stop this cruelty _ starting at our next meal. Commercial egg replacers, bananas, applesauce and ground flaxseed can all be used instead of eggs in baked goods. Soft tofu works well in quiches, puddings and mousses, and seasoned firm tofu can be used in eggless egg salad and breakfast scrambles. Vegan mayonnaise, such as Vegenaise and Hellmann's Vegan Carefully Crafted Dressing & Sandwich Spread, can be used instead of egg-based versions on sandwiches and in potato or pasta salad. If you crave something that "tastes like chicken," try Beyond Meat's vegan chicken strips, Gardein's "chick'n" and other popular meat-free foods.
Chickens don't actually want a party or a parade to celebrate International Respect for Chickens Month. They just want to live. Let's give these remarkable animals the respect and kindness they deserve by leaving them _ and their eggs _ off our plates.
