Celebrate International Respect for Chickens Day May 4
from Creative Fabrica and TheHungryJPEG)
Just because we generally think of them as food doesn’t mean we can’t treat them right. All animals deserve basic respect, and on May 4 it’s the chicken’s turn with International Respect for Chickens Day.
And no, you shouldn’t respect chickens only on May 4. That’s just the day United Poultry Concerns (UPC) has designated for raising awareness of the suffering chickens may endure.
And it’s not just the food industry. Cockfighting, research and other activities are also cruel to chickens.
In fact, the entire month of May is International Respect for Chickens Month. So even if you can’t help the chickens on the 4th you have lots of chances all month.
UPC started the day in 2005 to protest the treatment of chickens in factory farming operations.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this respectfully unofficial holiday.
Celebrating International Respect for Chickens Day
The United Poultry Concerns website suggests ways you can help “do an ACTION for chickens.”
You can:
- Have an office party
- Throw a celebration in your classroom
- Write a letter to the editor
- Talk to family, friends and even strangers about having respect for chickens.
Check out the website for more ideas, news releases, past events and current events around the country. Some events are held before the official day (in April, even). So if you’ve missed an event near you this year, plan to keep an eye out for next year’s events.
UPC and other animal rights organizations would also like you to consider going vegan. We’re not here to advocate for or against any particular diet, with or without meat.
But we do believe everyone should be aware of where their foods come from. In the case of chickens and their eggs, many come from factory farms with conditions no living creature should have to endure.
On the other hand, not all farms mistreat their chickens. And the “investigative” process of some “news” stories showing mistreated birds are questionable at best.
So what’s the truth? We’re not sure, but if even one farm is mistreating its chickens, that’s one farm too many to us. You’ll have to make up your own mind.
So our goal for this International Respect for Chickens Day is to try to learn more from reputable sources. Won’t you join us?
You might also like to see what happy, healthy chickens should look like, in these chicken pictures from photographer Tamara K. Kenneally, posted in honor of International Respect for Chickens Day in 2011.
The ASPCA details the two different breeds of chicken bred on most factory farms.
UPC created a short video for International Respect for Chickens Day in 2012:
Happy Hens Rescued in Celebration of International Respect for Chickens Day from United Poultry Concerns on Vimeo.
[…] International Respect for Chickens Day: Every living creature deserves respect. And on May 4 we highlight chickens, which don’t always get it. Let’s start doing better. Holding food producers to higher standards and ending cockfighting seem like good places to start. […]