Aren't these violets beautiful!

 

The American poultry industry is largely controlled by big agricultural firms, and some whistleblower farmers have provided some chilling insight into the lives of these poor animals.

One North Carolina farmer says that because the birds are bred for breast meat, they are too heavy to stand up and must spend their entire lives squatting. He likens them to “two toothpicks sticking out of a grape.” This position places them on the litter 95 percent of the time, which he describes as a mixture of pine shavings and fecal matter from the current flock as well as those that preceded it. Infections on the underside of their chests from contact with the filthy litter are common, with around 1,000 of the 30,000 chickens he raises every six weeks dying before reaching maturity.