Brittany Waldrep

You have probably heard the magnificent trumpeting of roosters at daybreak, the passionate, flill-throated announcement that dawn has come. The sound with which they welcome the day testifies, not only to their proud and passionate spirits, but also to how sensitive chickens are to light. This is a fact that modem poultrymen know, and do not hesitate to exploit.
In the windowless warehouses we are asked to believe are “chicken heavens,” the artificial lighting is manipulated in the most unnatural ways to maximize profits and minimize costs. Broilers are often subjected to bright light 24 hours a day for the first two weeks. Then the lights may be dimmed slightly and go off and on every two hours.’° At about six weeks of age, the animals have gone so completely crazy from all this that the lights must be turned off completely in an attempt to calm them down. But even then the absence of any outlet whatsoever for the birds’ natural energies and drives leads to a great deal of fighting, with the de-beaked birds pecking painfully at each other in the dark, often managing despite the mutilation of their beaks to kill each other. It’s at times like this that farm managers will sometimes reveal the depth of their compassion for the animals in their care.
“It’s a damn shame when they kill each other. It means we wasted all the feed that went into the damn thing.” The lighting conditions for young layer hens (called “pullers”) are a little different from those provided for broilers, though not exactly what you’d call natural. These young are kept in “grow-out” buildings which are usually kept comPletely dark except for feeding times.” Then, when the young hens rach the age where they can begin to lay eggs, everything suddenly changes. Having lived their entire lives in complete darkness, excent for feeding times, the hens now find themselves subjected to harsh and continuous light.