Chicken flesh is like “light” filtered cigarettes, not as bad for you as red meat (unfiltered cigarettes), but still very unhealthy. That’s why, in addition to our empathy for the birds, we get so frustrated when people who want to be healthy swear off cow and pig flesh but keep on eating chickens.
As part of our ongoing website revitalization project, we’ve just re-posted the text of a 2003 report on the health hazards associated with consumption of chicken flesh. Check it out for more than you ever wanted to know about cholesterol, campylobacter, and heterocyclic aromatic amines.
Sanctuary cofounder pattrice jones prepared that report for the Eurasian Vegetarian Society at a time when Russia was blocking U.S. poultry imports due to salmonella. Wisely, the Eurasian Vegetarian Society decided to seize the day and educate consumers in the regions about all of the health hazards associated with poultry consumption. Since chicken flesh was scarce, due to the import ban, they also used a translation of this handout on alternative sources of protein and flavor.
For a Buddhist take on factory farming, see this article: http://ilovekadampabuddhism.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/a-buddhist-take-on-factory-farming/
A thought-provoking added perspective or two…