Commercial poultry farming

Had a series of lectures on commercial poultry farming today and I was delightedly hit with some new info which set some light bulbs on. Let's get to the fun facts shall we?

• Now, when one reads 'free range' - Many (inlcuding myself!) will automatically think of --> oh the chickens are allowed to roam freely, more freedom, better welfare. 
• What i didn't know : Chooks are essentially kept in enclosed barns until 28days old (since prior to that they are incapable of regulating body temperature efficiently due to the lack of feathers), then are provided with outdoor access after hitting that 4weeks old point. 
• The catch: chickens are usually send off to slaughter around 30days+ mark. Which means although being labelled as 'free range', in reality they still spends most of their life in enclosed barns, only getting a couple of days of 'freedom'. And we consumers pays more for free-range chicken. Kudos for marketing ploy!
• Oh, sometimes freedom comes with a price too? If they somehow contract any disease in that final week of life, no medications can be used due to residue issues. Being let outdoor = unregulated environment, exposure to wild birds carrying diseases and parasites. Not so good now it seems...
• The craze for organic chickens. No chemicals = good?
• to be certified organic- producers are required to not use any vaccination, prophylactic antibiotics and medication on farm. For consumers, it's may seem excellent - well, since au natural is the best for us right?
• But what about the animal? No vaccination for endemic diseases and ubiquitous bacteria, no treatment even when it's sick - certainly a dent in animal welfare from my perspective.
• Let's throw in a trivia! How many poultry vets are there in Australia?

Poultry lectures in the morning, then spending my afternoon touring a commercial broiler farm. Tigh biosecurity, adhering to strict welfare standards, hygienic and tighly regulated environment - was certainly a pleasant surprise especially with the lack of 'smell' despite being fully enclosed. 

However, one thing that bothered me was certainly the fact that some chickens were unable to stand for long periods, merely lying on their breast for most of the time due to rapid muscle growth compared to bone growth, hence sore legs. After intense selection for growth, all of the broilers have huge breast meats, perhaps too huge and too heavy for some to physically bear. The only consoling thought was the fact that they are meant to be send off to slaughter in a couple of hours time, preventing any injuries stemming from that issue.

Gotta admit, chicken meat is certainly my go-to-purchase most of the time. This will certainly not change down the tract. Was definitely a good experience doing a walk through, looking at the facilities, understanding the rearing process and all. 

Now, i would love to visit a poultry slaughtering facility!

(Before i forget, there's a total of 12 poultry vets in the whole of Australia ^^)