Jenny Mace, of the University of Winchester and colleague Andrew Knight, Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics, and Founding Director of the Centre for Animal Welfare, at the University of Winchester embarked to find out more of the human-chicken relationship in a 2,000+ survey. Results were published in Animals an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal.
Participants included mostly chicken-oriented Facebook groups and other chicken organizations mostly in the UK.
Overall participants reported “personal” relationships to their chickens with 90 percent saying they would never kill their chickens for consumption. “Preventing commercial chickens from going to slaughter” was a key motive for chicken care by 56.1% of respondents, with 69.6% of respondents stating they cared for ex-commercial chickens. In open interviews phrases like “lower pet status”, “pets with benefits”, and “productive backyard pets” were used.
How do you think U.S. attitudes to backyard poultry compare or differ?
Shared from the news section of June/July issue!
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