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Areas of Routine Violations (cont'd)
The punching of the birds into crates, seen at the Granny's loading (pictured below), likely resulted in
femur dislocation. A 1992 study showed that in one third of cases, the femur had actually been forced
into the abdominal cavity. Rough shoving into crates also resulted in crushed skulls and wing damage
(Gregory & Austin, 1992, cited in Turner, et al., p., 21).
On October 27, 2008, we recorded the brutal loading of turkeys by eight young men onto a Granny's
poultry trailer in the Grunthal, Manitoba area. The birds were grabbed, two per hand, hung upside
down by one leg and roughly shoved into the crates on the trailer. Birds who attempted to escape were
pushed and punched back into the crates.
(Footage available here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TwylaFrancois)
On November 15, 2008, we observed the handling of chickens at the Fraser Valley Livestock Auction in
Langley, B.C. There was intense time-pressure on the workers causing them to throw the birds, and
drop them. Birds were grabbed by their heads, leg(s), neck, wing(s), and tails. This chaotic, brutal and
mindless handling occurred during loading and unloading as well as in the sales ring. The animal
advocacy organization, Lifeforce, has thoroughly documented handling practices at Fraser Valley
Livestock Auction (Lives for Sale:
http://www.lifeforcefoundation.org/newsitem.php?id=70
).
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