Ewwwwww

[mf_dolphin]

Farmers Put Live Chickens in Wood Chippers
Mon April 14, 2003 10:32 AM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two California poultry farmers who fed some 30,000 live chickens into wood chippers will not face criminal charges because they had permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, prosecutors said on Friday. But a spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States called the farmers "callous and barbaric" and disagreed with the decision not to prosecute them.

The farmers needed to destroy the chickens because they were "spent" -- or no longer able to produce eggs -- and could not make chicken soup out of them because the farms were under quarantine for the poultry virus Exotic Newcastle Disease, District Attorney's spokeswoman Gayle Stewart said.

Stewart said the men, who run a poultry farm near San Diego, asked a senior veterinarian with the Agriculture Department if they could employ the wood chippers and were given permission.

"Once they had permission we decided that they did not have any criminal intent," Stewart said.

Brothers Arie and Will Wilgenburg, who run Escondido-based Ward Poultry Farm, could not be reached for comment on Friday. Earlier, they told the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper that they were doing "what we thought we had to do" based on expert advice and stopped as soon as they learned otherwise.

Wayne Pacelle, a spokesman for the Humane Society, said that explanation was unacceptable.

"The act of feeding live chickens into a wood chipper is an extraordinarily callous and barbaric act and I can't imagine any person with a whit of common sense would use a wood chipper as a killing tool," he said. "No person with any experience in killing animals would sanction the use of this technique."

Pacelle said the District Attorney's decision not to prosecute the brothers rested on the "faulty assumption" that using wood chippers to kill chickens was an accepted practice.

[Guest]

OMG. I lived on a farm growing up and know about chickens - I can just imagine the scene there.

[Amanzi]

"The act of feeding live chickens into a wood chipper is an extraordinarily callous and barbaric act and I can't imagine any person with a whit of common sense would use a wood chipper as a killing tool," he said. "No person with any experience in killing animals would sanction the use of this technique."

That says it all IMO.

[Lindaloo]

The idiot who puts them in the wood chipper must be related to Saddam Hussein. I hope charges are brought against these no good SOB's!!

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA!!

[coriolis]

No longer laying eggs. Not suitable for soup because of a virus. What are you supposed to do, open a convalescent home for the chickens?

[Stephanie]

They shouldn't even be allowed near animals!!!

Can you imagine how they handle the ones that are alive?! They should go through an wood chipper - how stupid and unfeeling can two people be (other than Hussein)?

[mf_dolphin]

There had to be a better way of disposing of the chickens than a wood chipper! That had to make one heck of a mess!

[coriolis]

Well I guess it would be better to chop off their heads and then give them a decent burial, with an appropriate moment of silence, and next of kin (those still laying eggs) present. It might inspire them to try harder with the egg thing.

You know that I'm just having fun with this, don't you?

[sunny shine]

I do not find any humor in this at all.

[ColdFront77]

How awful! I wouldn't think a poultry farmer would want to do such a thing, being one that works with chickens all the time.

[Miss Mary]

I'm with sunny on this one - I found this story very sad. Don't get me started on animal rights. I become quite upset when I think about dog fighting and what those poor dogs must endure (read a Reader's Digest article on this a few months back, so sad). I'm also against the Circus too. I will boycott any Circus that comes to town unless they stop using animals for our entertainment. Again, my opinion is a direct result of a behind the scenes expose on 20/20. Baby elephants are ripped from their mother's sides in Africa. Their screams can be heard for miles. Then they are brought over here and chained daily for up 20 hours, in one position. Then expected to perform for our benefit? They are also prodded into performing (training only, patrons never see these things) with these metal clubs, there's a small hook device on the end that is very sharp. They showed a baby elephant with cuts all over his legs on this 20/20 segment.

As I said, don't get me started. It's enough to become a vegetarian (and I'm pretty darn close).

Please don't say - but you buy leather purses/shoes? What about that? Actually I buy cheapie, synethetic ones at Target. LOL

[chadtm80]

because they had permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

WHAT??????????????? WHY/HOW IN THE HECK COULD THEY GET PERMISSION FOR THIS

Department of Agriculture needs to explain........

[Lindaloo]

I agree Mary!! The imitation leather looks like the real thing but from man made material! Not animals.

I also saw a segment on Fox about those Beagle puppies in Iraq that were used to test their Bio weapons on. It was truly sad and sickened me!!

[mf_dolphin]

I have no problem with animals being raised specifically for food! Love a good steak! However, this represents a poor choice of disposal!

[coriolis]

I'm sorry for joking about this. I am not going to offer any excuses, and just throw myself at your mercy.

[deb_in_nc]

I watch Animal Cops and Animal Precinct. The things people do to their pets. Yesterday they had a German Shepard on. For years the dog lived with ticks covering every part of it's body. Poor thing even had ticks between all it's toes. Over the years the dog was being drained of it's blood. It was even kept in a trash pile with a fence around it. I just sat and cried. For my part, they should give the people who do this a little taste of what they've put their animals through. After all how long before they start on people? I hope to God they don't have kids.

Debbie

[weatherlover427]

This is sickening. I hope those idiots pay for what they did.

[Miss Mary]

coriolis >>I'm sorry for joking about this. I am not going to offer any excuses, and just throw myself at your mercy.<<

Consider yourself caught coriolis. All is forgiven! Animal rights is just a biggie with me. I've become quite wacky in my wise old age. My kids think I'm a little off my rocker at times. I only half enjoy myself at the Zoo now. The other half I'm looking into these sad poor eyes, in cages, especially the tigers and panthers. They just pace back and forth. And I'm thinking - yes you should be in the wild, not in a cage. Now I'm not slighting one bit the good Zoo's do (saving and breeding endangered species). I just think someone has to think about the animals and speak up for them. I'm done now.


Quick edit - Debbie, I've watched that show on Animal Planet. Sometimes I can handle it and other times it's just too painful to see these poor animals so sorely neglected. I saw a Lab once with a huge tumor hanging off his neck. It was the size of a melon. So sad. I think also it had pulled his eyelid down on that side. He was also very sweet to the Animal Protection Agency workers. In uniforms too! I'm sure he hadn't been in contact with anyone in days, fenced in his back yard. And I did see clips from the German Shepherd case but I was too upset to watch. You say a silent prayer when you see shows like this. I cry too Debbie, you're not alone there.

[deb_in_nc]

That show was on yesterday too, Mary. If only I could win the lotto. I would have lots of critters.

Debbie

[TexasStooge]

Throwing chickens in the wood chipper? What a waste of CHICKENS!!!!!!!!!!!