Constance

She was found in a broiler chicken intensive farm like this, writhing around on her back, unable to get up. She was about 6 weeks old and nearly ready to be slaughtered for meat. Her legs could no longer support her huge body and she could no longer stand up on them. She had lived in this disgusting shed with 60,000 other chicks for 5-7 weeks. She lived on a ground piled with chicken poo. She was just a baby who wanted a mother’s love and never got it. She had blue eyes and chirped.

We took her out of that shed, but if we hadn’t, she would have been slaughtered and eaten. These are the baby chickens you eat.

My friend named her Constance.

Constance was picked up and taken from that revolting broiler chicken shed with the knowledge that she probably wouldn’t live and with the knowledge that the chances of her ever being able to carry her body on those legs was minimal.

Chickens bred for meat have been selectively bred to grow as large as possible in the smallest amount of time possible. They are slaughtered at only 5-7 weeks old. When they are slaughtered they are covered in the chicken poo that they have been living on, their skin is burnt from ammonia and their body is covered with wounds and infection. Not only are you eating an individual baby when you eat chicken, you are also eating all of the revolting poo, infection and ammonia that these chickens are covered in.

When Constance was brought home from that broiler chicken shed, she had a lot of trouble just sitting up. Her body was so huge that she could not balance at all. Her legs were splayed out having collapsed on her some time ago due to her size. She had infected wounds all over her, infected from the faeces and ammonia she was living in.

Once she was home she drank and drank and drank. She also ate and ate like she hadn’t eaten for quite some time, which she probably hadn’t because she was unable to move or reach the water feeders or the food feeders in the farm.

Constance was bred to be killed and eaten. She was bred to suffer a short, painful, scared life to be eaten.

Constance had to be propped up with towels to be able to sit up and eat or drink. Her body was just too big. It was too big for her legs to carry it anymore. She was only 6 weeks old and was about to be slaughtered and eaten by consumers.

Constance lived another day after rescue, eating and drinking to her hearts content. She was gently put to sleep the next day by a caring vet who knew she’d never be able to stand no matter how hard we tried.

Constance had the care of my beautiful friend on her last day on earth and she also left the earth as someone who mattered. Her body will not be eaten by someone who doesn’t care about her.

Over 600 million broiler chicks are slaughtered for human consumption in Australia each year. At least Constance’s body was spared that much.