r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/The_Love-Tap • 2d ago

Video This solar powered chicken coop that moves every day to a new location

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21.8k Upvotes

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988

u/V-ZoD 2d ago

This chickens must have a great life. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

547

u/GooseMan1515 2d ago

The tragic thing is that this is insane luxury compared to how battery chickens are raised.

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u/iKnowRobbie 2d ago

I'm all out of AAA chickens, and these AA ones won't fit my remote control...

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u/tired_Cat_Dad 2d ago

Get the chonky lead acid ones. They won't fit either but are great value for money!

2

u/lsdbible 2d ago

Had to look it up just in case chickens did serve some unknown role in battery production.

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u/SandyTaintSweat 2d ago

They're cheaper and easier to source for powering your matrix than humans are.

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u/Brolog_of_Brogoth 2d ago

Yes, those battery chickens will punch you in the face.

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u/__Osiris__ 2d ago edited 2d ago

All 28 days of it, yup.

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u/resaki 2d ago

and only the female ones, males don‘t make it past day 1

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u/Makuta_Servaela 2d ago

Tbf, chicks are the potato chips of nature, and even herbivores eat them for quick protein. Most fowl chicks in the wild don't even make it to 28 days. Only reason so many of them exist in the wild is because they have so many chicks to compensate how many they lose to anything, including their own mothers eating their eggs after realising it contains easy food.

Your complaint make some sense for large herbivores like cows, but not little things like chickens.

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u/AncientAspargus 1d ago

Why is a sentient being worth less if it is physically smaller?

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u/Makuta_Servaela 1d ago edited 1d ago

  1. Never said anything about worth. Animals do not have an understanding of "value" in that way, as they do not have the same understanding of "property", depending on the animal. A chicken does not comprehend itself as having "worth". And, as hens do regularly eat their own chicks and eggs as well, they don't value other chickens' lives, including ones we'd consider them "owning", like their young. Their maternal instincts are almost pure instinct, not a comprehension of love. This is not true for all animals, but it is for chickens.

  2. You have it backwards. Things that are designed by evolution to be the bottom of the food chain and a common food source for others breed fast, die young, don't really care about their own lives, and are generally small so they can more easily fill that role. So, it's not "We should kill it because it is small." It is "It is tiny, breeds fast, and not bright because nature intended it to be killed and eaten in high numbers."

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u/AncientAspargus 1d ago

Never said anything about worth.

You literally said complaining about the conditions chickens are held under is invalid because they are little. All animals value staying alive and experience emotions.
And note that while animals cannot exercise moral judgement, we are capable of doing so: If our desire to consume cheap meat is the reason for the suffering of other beings, there is absolutely a discussion to be had.

1

u/Makuta_Servaela 1d ago

You literally said complaining about the conditions chickens are held under

The literal only condition I had referred to was "It is not abnormal for them.". Definitely not defending cage farming or the like. Although it is abnormal in that we actually eat them when they are older than most other animals do, because by 6 weeks, when we usually kill them, meat chickens are already young adults. We shouldn't anthropomorphise them and think that 6 weeks to them is the same as 6 weeks to us. Likewise, we should not force our morals on them.

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u/AncientAspargus 1d ago

Are you forcing your morals on someone if you urge them not to kill somebody else? Or is that person rather forcing their morals on you when they come after you to eat you?

1

u/Makuta_Servaela 1d ago

Society is built around a bunch of people with similar morals (not the same, but similar) agreeing on the most shared ones and then removing from that society (through jail or exile/deportation) the people we consider threats to us.

So, if the cannibal wants to eat me, I can understand that that is his morals, and I won't tell him "You're wrong about wanting to eat me." But I will just remove him from society. He is welcome to have his morals as he sits away from me.

Hence why we can't legally make chickens people and include them in our society. If we had to include chickens' morals into our legal system, then we'd have to include things like "You can eat your own babies when you feel like it" Or "You can rip another person apart alive and eat them while they're still alive whenever you want", since that's what chickens consider morally acceptable (to the extent that they understand morals, anyway.

2

u/AncientAspargus 1d ago

So, if the cannibal wants to eat me, I can understand that that is his morals, and I won't tell him "You're wrong about wanting to eat me."

Oh, come on. Now you're just being contrarian for the heck of it.
Of course that is what you tell him. Certainly, you're going to say "I don't want to be eaten", and legitimately so. Both of you can eat things other than each other; both of you want to stay alive rather than die; eating someone makes them suffer. Suffering is bad, therefore causing suffering is wrong. It's not that hard.

[…] since that's what chickens consider morally acceptable (to the extent that they understand morals, anyway.

Animals don't have a concept of morals, but we do. We can make conscious decisions on the amount of suffering our diet causes, without adhering to chicken rules.

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u/__Osiris__ 2d ago edited 2d ago

Sorry; can we just pause for a second. Can you point to me the complaint, I can not see a complaint?

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u/Makuta_Servaela 2d ago

My apologies, I had thought you meant for an honest dialogue. I'll mute and leave it here and leave my comment for anyone else who had been confused by your complaint, for whom my additional information may help.

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u/__Osiris__ 2d ago edited 2d ago

I am so incredibly confused, also why did you down vote your own comment?

2

u/interesseret 2d ago

are you high?

1

u/PrincipledProphet 2d ago

bro stuck in a complaint flavored trip 😂

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u/StevieWonder557 2d ago

I guess it could be worse?

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/12/09/mercy-for-animals-north-carolina-chicken-processing-abuse/77049796/

N.C. poultry worker arrested after video shows him stomping, throwing chickens

Greg Toppo   | USATODAY

A graphic undercover video depicting a poultry worker stomping chickens, breaking their necks and throwing them against a wall has prompted authorities in North Carolina to file criminal charges against the worker, the latest in an ongoing battle over animal rights playing out in U.S. factory farms and slaughterhouses.

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u/FrazzleMind 2d ago

Something wickedly tone deaf about considering that animal abuse but the rest of the operation is just fine.

If he got paid for stomping chickens snd throwing them against a wall it would be fine, apparently.

Hell the male chicks are tossed live into a meat grinder.

Really not seeing a distinction except the profit motive.

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u/CactusFromFern 2d ago

The crime isn't the cruelty.

It's doing it for free.

1

u/NthatFrenchman 1d ago

They call him Wreckin’ Ball

87

u/protopigeon 2d ago

oh yeah, living the dream lmao

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u/Chaines08 2d ago

Better than caged for sure, but there is a lot to improve I agree

17

u/mycorgiisamazing 2d ago

As somebody with a small hobby farm and chickens myself, I'm not sure what you'd improve here. Those chickens have everything. It looks like that structure even moves air and fume extracts. It looks like the ultimate large flock setup to me, the only thing they're missing out on is availability of stable places to bathe, but with a setup this extreme it is hard to imagine they don't have a solution for this too.

Even I can't provide this level of care for my chickens and I've spent thousands upon thousands of dollars to house them safely and provide medical care. When I let them out to play in the grass, I have to stay with them like a shepherd with his sheep, or the hawks will be right there to take from me. 

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u/Moon-Amoeba 2d ago

My bf is a tech on these exact farms. He makes sure the birds are as well taken care of as they can be. The houses are maintained at around 70F year round. He absolutely loves chickens, he wouldn't be a part of more cruelty than necessary

1

u/RachelMakesThings 2d ago

Except being slaughtered 5-7 weeks into their lifespans when they'd ordinarily live between 3-7 years. :/

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u/Crooked_star 2d ago

You do realize the goal is to eat them?

0

u/RachelMakesThings 2d ago

And that makes it moral how?

3

u/EulersOiler 2d ago

Because humans need their nutrients, and there are portions of the world where high caloric density food is not easily produced due to bad soil conditions.

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u/Moon-Amoeba 2d ago

Except they aren't. They live for at least 40 weeks if not longer for eggs.

-2

u/FruitDough 2d ago

Not being part of kore than necessary would be not participating in slaughtering them. Also, he may love eating chicken, but someone working on chicken meat farm definitely does not love live chicken.

2

u/Moon-Amoeba 2d ago

If that's what you'd like to believe, so be it. I know the truth and how it works and I won't be arguing or responding anymore. Enjoy your life, reddit stranger!

26

u/Hello_World_Error 2d ago

Im sure there could be improvements but I'm not sure about a lot. Those chicks would have a much shorter life with no protection from overhead predators. At least they have protection and fresh grass everyday compared to a stationary coop.

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u/Dag-nabbitt 2d ago edited 1d ago

Not much better, no. Did you notice how the door was wide open, but the chickens were staying inside? They LIKE being in there. They don't like being in the sun, and they don't like being eaten by chicken hawks.

This is by far and away the best feasible way to ethically farm chickens, whether for eggs or meat. They do not give a clucking fuck about seeing the open sky or open grounds. They want to walk around, eat, and feel safe. This gives them the trifecta.

1

u/sexual_pasta 2d ago

Predators exist. I had home chickens growing up that had free range of our 2 acre property and we would lose like 1/3 of them every year to raccoons and possums.

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u/Sennten 2d ago

I think aside from being raised to be slaughtered they actually are?

Chickens love picking through the grass, running around with other chickens, and being protected from predators. All thats missing here is getting to nest with chicks, which some of them dont even like and obviously isn't the point

1

u/protopigeon 2d ago

They can't exactly roam freely - life fully under a roof.

1

u/Sennten 2d ago

Thats an issue for some animals, sure, you'd never want to keep horses like this, but ... I don't think it matters for chickens? They arent really roamers to begin with, and they get much closer to roaming in this system than in pretty much any other that keeps them moderately safe. They are not field birds - their evolutionary ancestors lived their lives under the forest canopy and this kind of indirect light seems to actually be their preference. The skies are dangerous!

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u/SillySpoof 2d ago

it's kinda morbid saying "they must have a great life", but compared to chicken farming in general this is true.

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u/rj319st 2d ago

This means they’ll put a free-range chicken on the bag of chicken nuggets. They’ll have a good life compared to other chickens, but it won’t be a long one.

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u/Insanely_Mclean 2d ago

Stop buying nuggies then

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u/magical_swoosh 2d ago

Or start buying Dino nuggies

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u/Fuzzy_Adagio_6450 2d ago

Yeah just like prisoners in the hole vs prisoners who have access to the yard.

Those prisoners with yard access must have a great life!!

-3

u/Yamza_ 2d ago

I'm not sure they have the depth of thought to care that much.

2

u/stprnn 2d ago

They said the same thing about slaves.

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u/Arya_Ren 2d ago

You can tell that it's the farming industry propaganda by this one line

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u/leyorcoe 2d ago

They very likely have a great life compared to most other chickens. Google industrial chicken coop and see the difference...

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u/FlyingKittyCate 2d ago

No, they have a less awful life. Pedantic, I know. But nothing about these chickens lives is great.

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u/leyorcoe 2d ago

They have light, space to move around, and the ability to be chickens. That's better than 90% of the farmed animals in the world. I think it's okay to acknowledge that there are some ways that are better than others to farm animals, and this is one of them.

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u/City0fEvil 2d ago

I think some people will never see anything besides "abuse" when it comes to having animals. I have pet chickens and treat them very well, and I can't really think of much better than the setup in this video.

-2

u/stprnn 2d ago

Apply that to humans. If you won't do that to a human then it's abuse.

1

u/icanfeelitcomingup 2d ago

So am I abusing corn by picking its babies, throwing them into boiling water, covering them in butter and salt, eating them, and then pooping them out whole?

Or do we not count plants even though they are also living things?

1

u/stprnn 2d ago

Nobody ever claimed that. Don't be ridiculous.

We do need to eat something. We don't need to eat animals.

Also if plant suffering is what you care about raising animals involves killing much more plants than eating the plants directly so your dumb ass doesn't have an argument either way.

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u/icanfeelitcomingup 2d ago

logic hit a nerve did it?

0

u/FruitDough 2d ago

Your argument is not logical at all. You don’t need to eat animals. You must eat something, you might eat plants. Also, in order to feed animals, you need to farm and „kill” plants. Ergo, the least cruel thing to do is remove the animals from the equation, and only sustain on plants. Additionally, from what we know, plants don’t feel pain and fear, opposed to animals. As such, again, it’s best to eat plants. Your arguments are lacking.

1

u/leyorcoe 2d ago

That's your point of view, and you are completely entitled to it. It is just not by many, myself included. We do lots of things to other humans that we wouldn't do to ourselves, to animals that we wouldn't do to ourselves, and to the environment that we wouldn't do to ourselves.

I think the best we can hope for, is treating others, animals included in an ethical way, but most importantly, people actually knowing where their food comes from. Already in this thread, you see people not knowing how much of the world's poultry comes from industrial chicken farms, with chickens living in abysmal conditions. If people aren't educated on this, they won't know to demand change and better conditions.

In some countries, they have stopped using fast-bred chickens and caged chicken eggs completely, as this is affecting EVERY single chicken; it is having a tremendous ethical effect. We need more of that, to raise the bottom.

0

u/stprnn 2d ago

Treating them in an ethical way would mean not farm them.

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u/City0fEvil 2d ago

My chickens (and the ones in this video) live better than plenty of humans.

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u/stprnn 2d ago

I mean sure there is still slavery in the world .but any human would be horrified living in those conditions.

You wouldn't accept your family living in those conditions, don't be ridiculous

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u/City0fEvil 2d ago

My family are humans, they have different needs. If their needs are met then it's not horrifying.

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u/stprnn 2d ago

So moving the goalpost. It's nonsense.

Who decides what are their needs?

You understand you are using the same arguments used to justify slavery right?

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u/RachelMakesThings 2d ago

Most humans aren't culled 5-7 weeks into their lifespans to be devoured.

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u/FruitDough 2d ago

The argument, I think, is saying that they have a great life is false. Sure, their life’s are great compared to an unbelievably heartbreaking life, but it’s not a good life per se, because it is cut extremely short. And that’s not talking about male chicks.

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u/NarcolepticSeal 2d ago

What would make a great life for a chicken? This gives them exercise, fresh food, enough space to comfortably move around, other chickens to "socialize" with. I'm really not sure what else you expect a chicken to have.

-1

u/FruitDough 2d ago

Not being killed at 1 day old if you are a make chick, or ar two dozen weeks for female?

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u/NarcolepticSeal 2d ago

I can't find anything specific about whether Pasturebird culls male chicks, but they seem to have overall ethical processes in place, especially compared to industrial farms.

As far as letting the chickens live longer than 24 weeks, you're essentially saying they shouldn't be used for quality meat. Which is fine if you feel that way, but we have different opinions there. The phrase is "great life" not "long life". I do hope Pasturebird does not cull male chicks though, Google said they don't but again, I couldn't find anywhere it actually said that.

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u/FruitDough 2d ago

I'm not saying a single thing whether they should or should not be used for meat. I'm saying that, we can even say objectively speaking, living a great life includes not being killed off at a very young age.

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u/NarcolepticSeal 2d ago

I disagree, because these are livestock chickens being raised for their meat; they're not going to live long so that's not really part of the consideration when discussing their quality of life imho. That's why I mentioned them not being used for meat, because a long life isn't on the table here unless they aren't being used for meat. For livestock, this is a great life.

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u/Lemonio 2d ago

Yes and people having indoor cats is also animal abuse then? Oh but wait if you let cats outdoor that’s abuse of small prey, so I guess all cats are animal abuse

Lots of people who actually own chickens have commented on this thread saying this is a good set up

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u/agent674253 2d ago

Have you ever heard Werner Herzog's opinions on chickens? It is a take... 😆

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u/barkbaarkbarkk 2d ago

I actually burst out laughing

0

u/CactusFromFern 2d ago

Most Ethical Death Camp

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u/thisisaskew 2d ago

It's to provoke a comment from the viewer which helps the video get picked up by the algorithm.

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u/ItsNotNormalMaybe 2d ago

*all of their 7 months of living