What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

MAN• There are more than 24 billion chickens• Chickens are mainly raised for food• The average person eats an average of 75 pounds of chicken a year. • Man engineers most of the chicken that we eat. It is no longer a natural process for the most part.

“Broiler Chickens”

• Chickens raised and killed for meat for mass production by companies such as Tyson and Perdue

• 50 years ago, it took 84 days to raise a chicken • Today it takes 35-45 days to raise

The Natural Chicken

• ChickensNatural lifespan: 7 years Lifespan of chicken killed for food:Broiler chickens: 5-7 weeks Layer hens: 2 years Male chicks hatched as byproducts of egg industry: 1 day

Chickens reside in small flocks,• Like sunbaths, dustbaths, and perching in trees • The mother hen and rooster stay with their flock

and protects them

Types of Chickens/EggsOrganic – certified by third party

•Feed must be 100% organic, may provide vitamin and mineral supplements

•May not be given hormones or antibiotics.

•All organically raised animals must have access to the outdoors. They may be temporarily confined only for reasons of health, safety, the animal’s stage of production, or to protect soil or water quality.

•Free-range/organic chickens raised outdoors are still denied many of their natural behaviors

Free-Range, Free Roaming:

•Producers labeling poultry as free-range or roaming must demonstrate to USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service, that the birds have been allowed adequate access to the outside.

•LOOPHOLE: No specific amount of space or time outside is required and stocking density (crowding) is unregulated.

Cage-Free:• Cage-Free is applicable to

egg-laying hens. Broiler hens, or birds raised for meat, are rarely caged prior to transport.

• This term is not regulated by USDA.

• Outdoor access is not needed and stocking density (crowding) is unregulated

Pastured Poultry:

• Modified free-range system

• Birds are raised on pasture and provided shelter that can be moved by hand or tractor.

• Get up to 20% of food from pasture

• Often times, birds are moved daily

• This term is not regulated by USDA

All Natural:

• Contains no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed

• Does not affect animal welfare.

• Unlike the organic label, the natural label does not have to meet requirements for feed, antibiotic use, or pasture

No Antibiotics:

• Poultry products that have provided documentation to USDA FSIS demonstrating that the animals were raised without antibiotics

• Does not affect animal welfare.

No Hormones:

• The USDA does not permit the use of hormones in any poultry production

• Does not affect animal welfare.

• Shoprite

• Pathmark

• Stop-n-Shop

What Markets We Visited

Shoprite Chicken Variety

Tyson

Perdue

Pollo Fresco

Readington Farms

The Natural

The Natural:

Minimally processed

No Artificial Ingredients

Up to 1% retained water

Pollo Fresco:

All Natural

No Artificial Stimulants

Minimally Processed

Readington Farms:

All Natural

Meets the American Humane Association standards for raising farm animals in ways which reduces stress

Perdue:

Family owned – breeding stock

Hatchery, Plants on family farms

Make Own Feed: whole grains, yellow corn meal, marigold extracts, and soybeans

Fresh All Natural: Minimally processed means it has just gone through a water spray down, no added flavors or chemicals. Just plain and wrapped.

Cornish Hens – 30 days old

Fresh young Chicken: 47-48 days old; 3.5 – 5 pounds

Oven Stuffer Roaster: 80 days old; 6.5 – 10 pounds

Chickens raised in family houses about size of football fields

Has cpu controlled doors – chics are running free in the houses

Access to food and water at all times

Only access to fresh-air when weather permits or at certains times of the day

Tyson Chicken

Shoprite Egg Variety

Country Fresh

Pete & Gerry’s

Shoprite Brand

Egg Land’s Best

Land-o-Lakes

Egg Innovations

Pete’s Gerry’s Organic Eggs

Omega 3

Grade AA Large

Country Fresh: Grade A Jumbo Eggs

Egg Innovations: Cage Free Eggs

USDA Organic

No Medications, Antiobiotics, or Pesticides

Shop Rite Certified Organic Eggs

Grade A Large

Shop Rite Omega 3 Eggs

Extra Vitamins and Minerals

Vegetarian fed, no hormones

Egg-Land’s Best

Farm Fresh

Grade A Brown

All Vegetarian Diet

No hormones added

Pathmark Chicken Variety

Perdue

America’s Choice

HarvestLand

America’s Choice:

All Natural

Minimally Processed

No Preservatives

No Artificial Ingredients

Harvestland:

All Natural

No Hormones or Steroids Added

No Antiobiotics Ever

Fed 100% All Vegetarian Diet

Pathmark Egg Variety

Pathmark Brand

Egg Land’s Best

Land-o-Lakes

ISE Farm Eggs

Pathmark:

Fed pure grains w/o the use of antibiotics

All Natural Cage Free

Feed free of pesticides and herbicides

Land o” Lakes

Vegetarian Feed

No animal fat or animal byproducts

ISE Farm Eggs:

Locally Produced

More Cholesterol

Stop-n-Shop Chicken VarietyStop-n-Shop Fresh White Gem

Perdue

Stop-n-Shop Brand:

All Natural

Minimally Processed

No Artificial Ingredients

Up to 3% retained water

Stop-n-Shop Egg Variety

Nature’s Promise

Pete & Gerry’s

Nature’s Promise:

Organic

Cage Free

Naturally Raised Hens – No antibiotics, no synthetic hormones, no synthetic pesticides

Conclusion:

• If you shop at a big supermarket, there really is no completely chicken-friendly brands. There are brands which are more friendly than others, but in the end, these companies ARE killing chickens and mass producing eggs for profit. BUT, if you don’t want to be a vegetarian and still feel the need to eat chicken, organic would be the best choice in our opinion