ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS DON'T APPLY TO FOOD ANIMALS. ESPECIALLY CHICKENS.

𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥, & 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐋.

I’M 3 DAYS OLD, DON’T DOOM ME TO A BATTERY CAGE IN 6 MONTHS.

𝟔𝟕- 𝟖𝟔 𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒. 𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝟖 𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍. 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐘, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐆𝐆𝐒/𝐌𝐄𝐀𝐓, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄/𝐅𝐄𝐃𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄. 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐄 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃.

𝐃𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄. 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥, 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜.. 𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒𝐀. FOR MAJOR PRODUCERS LIKE CAL MAINE AND 5 OTHERS.

The BIG Newsletter, “Fowl Play: How Chicken Genetics Barons Control the Egg Industry,” by Matt Stoller. Zooms in on the supply chain’s choke point: the genetics duopoly of Hendrix Genetics and Cobb-Vantress, who control breeding stock for nearly all U.S. egg-laying hens. Pair that with Cal-Maine Foods, the world’s biggest egg producer, and you’ve got a tight grip on both ends of the egg game.

𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐱 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐛𝐛-𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐍𝐎 𝐞𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐞 — 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐲. 𝐀𝐧𝐝, 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤. 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐠𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝, 𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝟐𝟎%, 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 ONE 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐠𝐠/𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐲-𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬. 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐒, 𝐏𝐈𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐖𝐒.

The “Chicken Cabal”—Cal-Maine, Hendrix Genetics, Cobb-Vantress—leans on consolidation (top four at 54%) & genetics control (95% of pullets)

This emotional gap shapes tolerance: a video of a kicked dog sparks outrage. While a caged hen’s plight might get a shrug.

In this Jan. 4, 2005 file photo, a group of young pigs stare out of a pen at a hog farm in central North Dakota. (AP Photo/Will Kincaid, File) Will Kincaid AP

WHY DO WE ALLOW CRUELTY OF THE ANIMALS WHO PROVIDE US FOOD? IT IS ILLOGICAL. PRICES ARE ONLY GOING DOWN DUE TO IMPORTS. BUT NOT EVERYWHERE. STORES ARE STILL PRICE GOUGING.

NEW CHICKS DON’T BEGING EGG PRODUCTION UNTIL 6-7 MONTHS DEPENDING ON BREED. AND YES THEY COME IN A VARITEY OF COLORS, YOU DON’T NEED TO DYE.

TRACTOR SUPPLY STARTED SELLING TWO DAY OLD ‘CERTIFIED HEALTHY’ CHICKS IN MID-FEBUARY, A MONTH EARLY. AND CAN’T KEEP THEM IN STOCK. WHERE POSSIBLE PEOPLE ARE TURNING INTO BACKYARD CHICKEN FARMS, AND GARDENS, EVEN IF THEY HAVE TO USE RAISED BEDS DUE TO LACK OF SPACE. DARING HOA’S OR CITY ORDANCES.

FDR CULLED MEAT DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION TO SUPPORT FARMERS.

There is one small problem with this view: its central premise is wholly false. The New Deal failed to get America out of the Great Depression. If anything, it made matters worse. Throughout the New Deal era, the median annual unemployment rate was 17.2 percent. At no point during the 1930s did unemployment go below 14 percent. Although there was episodic recovery, the 1937 peak for per capita output was lower than the previous peak in 1929. And the 1937 peak was followed by a crash. As Milton Friedman and Anna J. Schwartz have observed, that was “the only occasion in our record when one deep depression followed immediately on the heels of another.”

The Great Depression was the most important economic event in American history, ushering in the biggest peacetime expansion of federal power. Accordingly, more and more economists have focused on the New Deal’s bottom line—the actual effects of New Deal policies—rather than on the good intentions of New Deal personalities.

GOD HELP US AND THE ANIMALS YOU GAVE US AS FOOD. INCLUDING OUR SMALL FARMERS. AMEN.