Do the KFC

I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been thinking about chicken. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about animal rights and how they pertain to chickens. Here’s what I’ve been thinking: anything that can survive without a head doesn’t need rights.

Sure, Mike the Chicken still had some of his brain stem attached. But how many living beings could survive with most of its head/brain cut away? And besides, what else do chickens provide? Even if you do let them graze, what are they contributing to the great circle of life (besides their tasty selves as food)? I don’t know the history of chickens before we domesticated them, but I can’t imagine they did much. Furthermore, I don’t think chickens can really tell the difference between being locked in a cage and living in an open field. How good of a life can a chicken have anyway?

I believe the bigger concern regarding chickens is their energy use. I understand that it generally takes twice the amount of energy to produce meat than it does vegetables. Does it take more energy to keep them locked up or to let them roam? I’ve heard arguments for both sides, but if free range farming is truly more efficient, then I would absolutely support it. Chickens don’t need rights. The world needs to be energy efficient.