Perdue’s entire business model is predicated on raising and slaughtering chickens, but that doesn’t mean the company is completely callous to the well-being of those birds.

In Perdue’s first annual progress report on animal welfare, released on Monday, the Maryland-based company outlined plans to improve conditions for the chickens in its slaughtering facilities.

“This is a big change for our company as well as the industry,” said Perdue Farms chairman Jim Perdue in an interview shortly before the report was released, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The progress report detailed several of Perdue’s upcoming efforts to improve the lives of its birds, including: more floor space and outdoor space for the chickens at its processing facilities; giving the birds at least six hours of darkness, as well as more natural light; third-party monitoring of the facilities; and, perhaps most notably, the increased use of controlled-atmosphere stunning — or “gas stunning” — which desensitizes the chickens to pain before slaughtering, per a press release from animal rights group Mercy for Animals.

“There are a lot of reasons for us to move forward on better care,” Perdue told The Portland Press-Herald. “It’s good for the chicken, farmer and the meat.”

It’s also good news for the consumer, reports Mercy for Animals. According to a nation-wide survey conducted by the group, more than three quarters of consumers felt that supermarkets “should require their suppliers to improve the manner in which they raise and process broiler chickens.”

The Herald, too, reports that Perdue is likely trying to appeal to millennial shoppers and the changing tastes of the consumer.

Film at 11.... 🤔

I bet Bloody still uses a rock... 😟

My wife would have used my santoku knife with my sharpening steel as a hammer... but I bought her a good, quality German cleaver, so she uses that now. 🌫

Is that like a German Shepard..?? 😕

I want the cheapest chicken meat possible; if these new procedures don't gaurantee that, they can screw themselves...

I bet you could get some from Bloody pretty cheap... 😟

Road hard.....

With its own sauce

So will this affect that awesome antibiotic flavor that most chickens have?

I'm not sure I would like chicken with out all the tasty crap they shove in them. What about that stuff that blows them up to the size of turkeys, are they going to keep that stuff? That's stuffs the best.

How can you tell if a chicken had a boob job?

Look for wingpit scars?

?

And to think, On the farm we just grabbed them by the head, slung their body around like a boleadora. Then threw them to the ground and watch them flop and run for about 7 to 8 minutes with their necks broke. I guess if playing "I believe I can fly" in the background and the happy ending of chicken little on the big screen while pumping the chickens full of some brain numbing agent makes people feel better about it... Its the companies dime I guess, but I agree with JJanecka on this one "I want the cheapest chicken meat possible; if these new procedures don't guarantee that, they can screw themselves..." I also think that in this day and age that will not be the case. You will now see new add logos on the Purdue products that read "We almost cheat death but not really, We just sneak up on it" and they will jack the price up 6 fold because they going about some new angle of easing some peoples minds about how to kill a chicken. Final thoughts: I am with Jack Nicholson/Joker in Batman movie when he says........... " This town needs an enema"

First Sea World...next, Ringling Brothers...then the Tilapia Savior, now Perdue and local county execs (http://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2017/07/montgomery-county-considers-ban-animals-used-performances/)......as a fisherman and hunter...well, I'm a little bit concerned right about now.....you know what they say "Human see. Human do."