New hidden-camera footage from Mercy For Animals reveals chickens suffering from open wounds at a contract farm for an ALDI chicken supplier.
In the heartbreaking footage, tens of thousands of chickens are packed inside filthy, overcrowded sheds and forced to live for weeks in their own waste. The investigator documented countless birds, including chicks just days old, suffering from severe open wounds, other serious injuries, and illnesses. Some sat on splayed or swollen legs, while others endured twisted necks and beaks. Some birds even had burns, organs bulging out, or missing eyes.
Many of these afflictions result from the way chickens raised for meat are bred. These birds are routinely bred to grow incredibly large over a short period, which puts their bodies under tremendous stress. Some become immobile and die of dehydration when they can’t walk to water. Others suffer painful deaths from organ failure.
The horrific footage also shows sick and hurt live birds being thrown into buckets or onto dead piles to die in agony. Some are even crushed under the weight of the corpses tossed on top of them.
Mercy For Animals recently launched a report that ranks retailers according to their efforts to address the most pressing welfare issues associated with chickens raised for meat. ALDI is among the companies that rank in the report’s lowest tier, which is no surprise in light of the footage.
Chickens are intelligent, affectionate animals. Mother hens chirp softly to their chicks before they hatch and form close bonds with their babies. Chickens have great memories and can recognize dozens of individual faces. Like many animals, they also dream when they sleep! These amazing birds deserve so much better than the abuse documented by our investigator.
Mercy For Animals is calling on ALDI to adopt meaningful animal welfare standards for all its chicken suppliers to prevent the horrific suffering caused by rapid growth and filthy, overcrowded conditions. You can help!
