More than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of food, for both their meat and their eggs.The vast majority of poultry are raised using intensive farming techniques. One alternative to intensive poultry farming is free range farming.Friction between these two main methods has led to long term issues of ethical consumerism. Opponents of intensive farming argue that it harms the envi
ronment, creates human health risks and is inhumane. Advocates of intensive farming say that their highly efficient systems save land and food resources due to increased productivity, stating that the animals are looked after in state-of-the-art environmentally controlled facilities. In part due to the conditions on intensive poultry farms and recent recalls of large quantities of eggs, there is a growing moThe meat of the chicken, also called "chicken", is a type of poultry meat. Because of its relatively low cost, chicken is one of the most used meats in the world. Nearly all parts of the bird can be used for food, and the meat can be cooked in many different ways. Popular chicken dishes include roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, Buffalo wings, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and chicken rice. Chicken is also a staple of many fast food restaurants.vement for small scale micro-flocks or 'backyard chickens'. This involves keeping small numbers of hens (usually no more than a dozen), in suburban or urban residential areas to control bugs, utilize chicken waste as fertilizer in small gardens, and of course for the high-quality eggs and meat that are produced.Chickens farmed for meat are called broiler chickens. Chickens will naturally live for 6 or more years, but broiler chickens typically take less than 6 weeks to reach slaughter size.A free range or organic meat chicken will usually be slaughtered at about 14 weeks of age.
