Beken 1

Bailey Beken
Professor Collins
ENGL 1302
6 April, 2016
Problems in Factory Farms
The short video Chicken Factory Farmer Speaks Out explains the hardships that both
the farmers and animals involved in factory farms, which are controlled by large companies face.
The farmer in this video shows the viewers a few of the upsetting scenes that result from the
strict way they are forced to grow their animals. These farmers are controlled by major food
companies and are forced to follow the strict means of raising these animals for fast production
and if a farmer was to change the ways the animals are grown they could lose their contract with
the company they work for. The farmer explains that those involved with the major corporations
do not agree with how the companies have them raise the animals, and the farmers are seeking a
change in the way that food is produced. The sufficient, precipitating, remote, and reciprocal
causes presented in the video Chicken Factory Farmer Speaks Out suggests that farmers need
freedom from controlling food companies.
The reciprocal cause in this short film is the speed at which these birds are raised.
Within just twenty six days these birds can barely move due to their unnaturally large size. An
article from the SPCA, which is an animal safety agency, explains that on average a chicken can
live around ten years, but those grown for food are likely slaughtered at the age of just six weeks
(Animals on). The ASPCA wrote an article Animals on Factory Farms that explains that these
birds are grown so that their breasts grow fast and large to meet demands of consumers causing
their bones and organs to lag behind. The birds spend majority of their time sitting down and

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panting. The litter which they lay in is filled with their own waste putting an ammonia in the air
that burns their skin and eyes (Animals on). Chicken houses are so full that the birds do not have
room to walk around, the only movement that the birds really have is to stand up and get a drink
or a bite to eat. Which is exactly what the food companies want so that the birds will get as big as
possible as fast as possible (Chicken Factory). Some of the birds become so big that their legs
cannot support them and they become crippled an unable to move to get to food or water
(Animals on). Many face numerous health problems because of the environment they live in
(Chicken Factory). The unnatural speed at which these birds are raised is the main contributor to
all the problems they face. They grow at a rate where their weak bodies cannot keep up with their
unrealistic rate of growth. Which leads to the birds having numerous health issues, and the
outstanding number of birds that die within each flock. One article Farm Animal Welfare:
Chickens explains that almost one million chickens are killed every hour on factory farms.
These poor birds never even get to see natural sunlight which is essential to life. The SPCA, and
the ASPCA both show reasons as to how the film Chicken Factory Farmer Speaks Out is
correct and credible.
The fact that the litter in the chicken houses never gets changed, not even between flocks
of birds, is a direct factor to why there are so many issues with how companies have farmers
grow their product. According to the film the lack of cleaning within the chicken houses is a
sufficient cause that leads to the birds lack of feathers, and spread of disease through the chicken
houses. Several other sources explain that this is a main problem that needs to be fixed, because
of how much it truly effects these birds. Majority of the birds in these farms face feather loss,
and the loss of their feathers leads to skin problems because the birds are packed into the houses
being forced to always lay on the nasty, unclean floor. These birds are so stuffed into these

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chicken houses that they lack natural ways of life such as flapping their wings, nesting, and
roosting (Farm Animal). The litter in the chicken houses should be cleaned regularly to help keep
these birds healthy, yet the litter is never changed causing a disease filled unclean environment
for these birds.
An example of a precipitating cause in this video is when the farmer, Craig Watts
explains that due to his contract with the major food company he is not allowed to let his birds
see sunlight (Chicken Factory). The lack of sunlight also causes more health issues for the
chickens. Every living thing needs the sun to survive, yet major food companies hide their
products from the sun causing many health problems for the animals. The houses the chickens
live in have no windows, and are empty other than rows of feeders and waterers (Farm Animal).
In hopes that the lack of sun, and room to move the birds will grow faster creating less time the
farmers have to feed out the birds. The birds are also uncomfortable and unhealthy due to their
lack of sunlight. The closed in chicken house, which contains hundreds of birds, becomes hot,
and smelly because those farmers that sign contracts with major food companies have to keep
their animals tucked away from the sun. If these farmers were to ignore any part of their
contracts they would lose their jobs, and almost every farmer is dependent on their income from
raising the food products for major food companies. John Oliver an anchorman for a television
show does research for his views and tells us that there are appropriation bills being made to
insure that this production becomes fair to both the farmers and the birds from the companies
they work for. Mr. Watts the farmer in Chicken Farmer Speaks Out wishes to be able to give
his birds sunlight, and be able to open up his chicken houses to fresh air, but if he did he would
lose his contract with the company that he works for. Wattss believes it is time for him to start
over within this industry because he is tired of watching all of the terrible things that take place

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because of the problems in how these birds are grown. Nearly sixty percent of chicken growers
disagree with the way factory farmers have them grow their birds, and want to see a change in
the way that these birds are produced (John Oliver).
The video Chicken Factory Farmer Speaks Out is very effective at teaching its viewers
the problems they dont necessarily know about in the way that food is produced. This video is
eye opening to the causes and effects of the unsettling way these birds are raised. Along with the
struggles of the hardworking men and women that provide the food that people eat each day face
in order to make food companies happy. Hopefully after viewing this video people will want to
see a change in the way their food is produced. Other sources such as major animal protection
agencies like the SPCA, and the ASPCA agree that the way factory farming is being run is wrong
for the farmers, the animals, and the consumers, and that this is a major problem that needs to see
change.

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Works Cited
"Animals on Factory Farms." ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
This source contains information about all kinds of factory farms rather than just chicken
farms. It provide specific facts listed at the end of the article. This source contains
information that goes along with the problems the farmer in the video discusses.
"Chicken Factory Farmer Speaks Out." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. Mar. 2016.
The short video explains causes and effects that create the terrible problems within
chicken factory farms. Mr. Watts invites the reporters to his farm so that people can see
just how upsetting the way factory farming is run. Watts explains how this is a problem
that needs to see change.
"Farm Animal Welfare: Chickens." MSPCAAngell. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
This article describes how the factory chicken farms work and the fast rate at which these
birds are raised. It describes the hard conditions these birds have to live in, and the dieses
they get because of it. This further explains what the farmer spoke about in the video.
"John Oliver vs. Chicken." POLITICO. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
John Oliver focuses on the chicken farmers themselves and the hardships the major
companies cause them. Oliver describes ways to fix this issue by focusing on the farmer
rather than just the birds. This article explains how both farmer and birds need to be
treated fair.