Sure, the sensible thing to have done would be to have a lock on the door; but the TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS SENSELESS ACT IS ON THE STUPID DRUNK WHO TURNED THE POWER OFF! Your attitude is to blame the victim like that lessens mr. nit-wit's responsibility.

My sugesstion for punishment after he pays for every one of those dead chickens is 6 months shoveling out chicken-@!$%# in that man's farm and plucking chickens that have been slaughtered for food.

The guy was drunk and did not understand what he was doing but still should be held accountable.

An investment of that magnitude, yes I would have locked my control shed. Not saying the guy was ignorant for not doing so, just stating I would have done so in the first place.

Now, where and when is this Bar-B-Que?

It would make sense at least to have an alarm..With that much at stake lighting could of done it as well.

seems far fetched.

seems like they would have an alarm for if power went out and an alternate power system

do chickens need an air conditioner at night? how crowded were they?

I live in the area where this happened. It's bumpkinville (not meant in a disparaging way). There are trusting people around here and really who assumes that some drunken moron is going to turn off your power?

For causing such a significant monetary loss the idiot not only should have to reimburse the chicken owner but also be put in jail and serve time. If you cannot handle alcohol drinking then you should not drink. It's just that simple. A man should know his limitations. I guarantee you he will know his drinking limitatations after a long stay in a jail cell.

Which is he going to pay? 20k to the farmer, 220k to the plant that was going to process the chickens (nice price markup there or profit margin I should say), or both. 200k to process some chickens, no wonder food costs so much. According to the numbers I could buy a live chicken for a 1/10 the price from a farmer versus from the processing plant. The retail store you buy the processed chicken from will have a profit margin too as well as any distibutors used. It is nice to see how little farmers, the actual PRODUCERS make.

What happens to the carcasses of that many chickens?

To the morons posting in this thread: the OP didn't blame the chicken owner, he made a point that you don't have to be overly bright to own 70,000 chickens.

Tired-2176559, when you add transportation costs, and the hard and soft costs of running a processing plant (wages, insurance, utility costs, etc.), the mark-up may not be as high as you think.

$20,000 to the farmer: life sucks.

$200,000 to the processor: life really sucks.

Having the world know that you passed out and pissed yourself while half naked at a poultry farm and might think that you are a chicken molester: priceless.

"Chicken molester" was extra, but after the story about the drunk lab technician in a room with mokeys and his pants around his ankles, I couldn't help but wonder.

factory farming sucks ,for both the aminials as well as the people who eat them,rather eat freerange chicken

It is actually scary to think that our food sources are managed in such a manner that they begin to die within 15 min. without mechanical intervention. Chickens in a natural setting do just fine without ventilators, the forced growth cycles with caffeine, antibiotics and unnaturally close quarters is perhaps the bigger problem if you take a broader view.

Colonel Sanders murdered 100 times that many chickens and was beloved by all (except the chickens). Go figure

I am a little confussed how would chickens start to die in 15 minutes without power, how are 70000 chickens dead just because power was out for 6 to 12 hours?

It's a horrible tragedy and may God bless the dead chickens and all their families! RIP

I guess the chickens are packed in so tight that without ventilation they suffocated. The markup along the way from the chicken farmer to the supermarket is unbelievable. Just the processor alone results in a ten fold increase. A single whole chicken only gets the farmer about 29 cents but by the time it gets to the supermarket whole chickens are going for $1.29+ /pound with a chicken weighing anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 pounds for smaller fryer chickens to 4+ pounds for roasting chickens.

My guess is that this guy will only be on the hook for the farmer's loss and not for the processors. Even at that, $20,000 is a high price to pay for letting yourself get a little too drunk. He is lucky he did not accidentally piss on a live exposed circuit and electrocute himself.

Not that I am in any way faulting the farmer for what happened, but if keeping the power on was so critical to my business I would have had a lock on the door. I would probably have also had some kind of alarm to let me know if the power went out.

Imagine price of chicken McNuggets will go up now...

What a sad state of our country. We cannot lock every building on the off-chance that some idiot will trespass and cause mayhem. We cannot be secure at home. This guy should not only pay for those birds and the clean-up he should participate. Can you imagine the agonizing death of each chicken. To be responsible for that much suffering..........Free-range is best but few people can raise their own food. No one seems to respect any one or anything that is not theirs.

The owner should not be blamed for not protecting his property better. It's his! no one has the right to wander on another's property.

JS, IMO you always post the most intelligent, fair, and unbiased comments. You should have been a journalist, that is, if you're not already one. Show some of these losers how it should be done.

extreme Chick-Fil-A protester ??

Colonol Sanders would not be pleased

I like how everyone ignores the real issue which is the inhumane conditions your poultry is kept in. If these chickens were allowed to live their lives as god intended this would of never happend. But instead they cram them in windowless chicken houses where they don't see the light of day til being brought to the slaughter house. The fact that 70,000 chickens could die in 15 minutes due to a power outage should be making us all ask serious questions about the farming practices of this industry. I'm appalled and disgusted. While the young man should be held responsible so should the farmer. Raise unhealthy food get unhealthy people. AMERICA F*&%..........MEH!

He is lucky he did not accidentally piss on a live exposed circuit and electrocute himself.

....I think it would have made a much better story had he done so, frankly, looking at his picture, and considering what he did, he doesn't give any indication that he will become a productive member of society, I have a hunch his picture will be entered on police blotters again in the future. Remind me to avoid the Delmar MD area if at all possible.

Psychotica

Yet another horrifying example of why the LORD has forbidden us to drink alcohol.

.................Jesus drank wine, hell, Jesus MADE wine, ever hear of the wedding feast at Cana?

yeah, check out the doc. food, inc. that will give you a clue as to the conditions those store-bought chicken tenders chickens 'lived' in before harvest. whoever said he should have 70000 counts of animal cruelty against him is either ignorant or an imbecile.

If the man had gotten behind the wheel of a car and killed someone, the chicken farmer could be held liable for manslaughter for supplying alcohol to this moron and then letting him drive. The chicken farmer is lucky IMO.

This is a clear-cut case of fowl play.

Give him 90 days in jail with a diet of water and chicken lips! That'll teach the sot!

Haha listen to some of you people. Guy gets drunk and shuts off a power switch and you make him out to be a hardened criminal. I bet none of you have ever done anything stupid while drunk *sarcasm.*

At the very least he should have to pay for the total damages, of course. Not sure what else is normal for someone who gets caught being stupidly drunk in public. Poor chickens. I'm sure someone will use this as an excuse to raise poultry prices.

"Imagine price of chicken McNuggets will go up now..."

Maybe not. I'm not sure there's any actual chicken in Chicken McNuggets.

Let's not forget this man was invited by the daughter. She knew he was drunk and didn't make sure he got home safe. He would never had been on the property if it wasn't for the daughter! I think she needs to work of this dept! People judge you by the company you keep.

Kevin in Texas;

Uh, you may want to re-read the article...

Shelton advised the last thing he remembered was being on the property after a nearby concert

and

Shelton had been at the owner's property the previous evening with a group of people that included the owner’s daughter

Please, for the sake of the planet.... Wear a condom....

The drunk passed out and pissed on his-self. The farmer lost $20,000.00 The processor lost $220,000.00. Sounds like the farmer gets it in rear all the way around. The drunks probably lucky he didn't decide to take a squirt on the breaker box.

HO!

Look at the photo of that dude. He obviously doesn't have a pot to pi$$ in (literally as he was lying in his own urine) no way he has or will ever have the cash to pay the farmer. The farmer probably has one of those bolt guns they kill cows with. He should of used it on this drunk and THEN called the sheriff. They'd have just figured he did himself in with the bolt gun in his stupor.

I have the same question #1.19 has. Maybe farming is best left to farms.

Also, why would a drunk, apparantly not knowing what he was doing, look for a power switch and turn it off? I'm guessing that the ownwer's daughter gave a bunch guys a demo of how the farm is run showing all the crtitical business procedures earlier that day ( and probably supplying plenty drinks)/. And the curious one in the bunch wanted to try something out himself.

You would think that the writer of this story would not have to depend on the posters to explain why the chickens died when the power was turned off ...

And if I were the insurance company ... no locks ... no sensors ... no guards ... no payee!!!!!!

Yes, article did not explain why chickens died when power was turned off. If you saw how these animals were raised I guarantee you would not eat them. I suppose they didn't want animal cruelty society getting publicity on this.

This kid came onto the proerty after a concert and apparently the farmers' daughter had invited him to be there. The article states that she knew he was there but thought he left. He did NOT leave that night. HE ended up in the shed somehow. Did the reporter bother to find out why the daughter knew a seriously wasted young man was wandering about and did NOT care how he left or what had happened to him?? Seems like the daughter has some liability in his and the farmer as well if he allowed his daughter and her friends to party and get so seriously wasted on his property regardless if the drunks were legally adults or not. I'm sure that the farmer also carried some type of insurance on his property, his product etc.. Would also like to know just how crowded his space was that 70,000 chickens were in it and died without power. How did chickens survive before electricity??? I guess they weren't jammed so tight in a bulding that they did have room to move or breathe in!!!!!

Yes, this kid has his share of responsibilty to man up to in this situation and should have some punishment and restitution to pay. But not hardly a quarter of a mils worth. There's all kinds of jokes about young men and farmers daughters but this one is quite unique!!!! NO shotgun wedding here but did he chase the kid out with one anyway??

if those chickens died just after 15 minutes without power ...then with power they must have been barely clinging to life.....think about it....its like the electricity was forcing them to stay awake...then once the power went out .....the chickens were set free from slavery

If the farmer was going to sell 70,000 chickens for $20,000, that would be approximately $.2857 per chicken. Their food would have cost more than that! Then we have overhead, such as electricity, utilities, employees, gasoline, transportation, property taxes, etc. It is clear that the reported amount of $20,000 should have been $200,000.

I am perplexed and amazed that not one comment above takes this into consideration! We need a much higher level of education in our nation! Due to the increase in world knowledge, people need to remain in school until the end of the semester of their 20th birthday. Courses in life adaptation, personal finance, interpersonal relations in marriage, interpersonal relations in the work environment, etc., need to be taught. Our obsession with cell phones, ipads, being connected, computer games, and other nonproductive and noneducational nonsense is driving our nation to stupidity and ignorance.

No one knew about ammonia from chicken droppings. No one knew about temperatures and the need for air conditioning. This is all extremely amazing! Yes, we ALL need some education!

You lock your house? Why?

You lock your car? Why?

So how is that a bad comment, you lock your stuff up at the gym? Why?

saying the power should have been locked up is a perfectly good statement.

Thank you commonsense, for at least explaining to me why electricity is a life or death situation for these poor cramped chickens!! I had no idea WHY they had died. The article zips right over the information, like we're all farmers or something. I know they are kept in very cramped, and sometimes no light at all, situations. But had no idea it was THIS bad. IF YOUR FARM ANIMALS ARE LIKELY TO DIE WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES DUE TO ELECTRICITY, SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE. SERIOUSLY. This is beyond disgusting.

Page you make absolute sense!!! Seems pretty irresponsibe to leave such a large investment unattended and unsecured!!!!

I'd imagine the mark up is due to the cost in man hours to process that many chickens as well as running the facility and getting rid of the waste. Seems strange the owner only valued 70,000 chickens at around 30cents each. Even wholesale that sounds low.

A pre-processed Chicken is only worth a little more that 28 cents? Somewhere between there and the grocer a lot of money is being made. The last whole fryer chicken I bought was over $5. I don't remember what it was a pound, but it wasn't that big.

"...which was going to process the birds, estimated its loss at $220,000..."

And $7.99 for my trauma as well since i was going to eat the chicken.

Mr. Wetmypants thought he was still in the Mosh Pit (good luck getting oxygen when drunk in the mosh pit).

He was found lying in a pool of his own urine, wearing boxer shorts and a t-shirt.

They should have taken a picture, and forced him to hang it around his neck wherever he goes for the next 30 days.

Just because he was found in the shed, doesn't actually prove that he turned off the power. I have had friends over the years who got way too drunk and other friends did pretty awful things to them while they were passed out. C'mon guys and gals...you all know what I'm talking about...many of you have been on either the giving or recieving end somewhere along the line. Perponderance of the evidence isn't enough to convict in court...all evidence in the case is circumstantial only. At the worst, they will convict of tresspassing and possibly public intoxication...

As for making him paying for the chickens in a civil suit, I am betting the the owner will be found negligent for not locking the shed and will be eat the cost because of culpable negligence on his part and his insurance company will either pay a partial reimbursement or none at all...I am guessing in the future he will lock the shed....just an observation....

BTW, many years ago a friend of mine was the caretaker on one of these chicken farms in Florida...while calculating the value of the chickens...you must remember that many of these chickens were probably still "Chick" size. Since these farms get them in at chick size and it is roughly every 5-6 weeks the full size chickens go out and new chicks come in. My friend's farm was on a two week schedule...three sheds that rotated every two weeks...1 shed had chicks another had mid sized and the third shed was ready to ship out and new stock brought in....rotation.

I have to question what kind of environment these chickens lived in that will put them to their death if they don't have power for over 15 minutes. The last I knew, chickens didn't need power to live. So what would this farmer have done if the power went out naturally? Ya, somethings not right here.

70,000!

Damn, this guy will get mad respect in the clink. The prison yard hasn't seen a chicken killer like this since Johnny "Chicken Slayer" Calhoun set the record in 1928 at a measly 1,000 chickens.

Wonder what he was thinking about that would cause him to strip down to his underwear before entering a chicken coop...

Those must have been terrible conditions to live in. And to think, Americans consume 8 billion chickens a year...

Wonder what he was thinking about that would cause him to strip down to his underwear before entering a chicken coop...

He probably thought since he was going to bed that he should remove his pants.... kind of forgetting the part that he was in a chicken coop.

commonsenseaintcommon You need to comprehend the story. It says the chickens were found Saturday morning and Shelton had been at the owner's property the previous evening (Friday night) with a group of people that included the owner’s daughter. The daughter thought he left, but instead he wandered into the shed where all the power controls and breakers were and turned it off.

Yet another horrifying example of why the LORD has forbidden us to drink alcohol.

What? There are so many examples in both the old and new testament of the Lord commanding us to drink the fruit of the vine that it makes my head explode! It may be your personal belief not to drink, but don't make a religious argument over it. You lost before you even started typing.

@ GetReal - they'll most likely be turned into fertilizer. There are govt. rules for for the disposal of dead chickens.

When the lights go out

I choke my chicken.

These 70,000

Aren't finger lickin'

I agree that the drunk should be held responsible even if he doesn't remember it - it was his choice to get into a drunken state and he is responsible for anything he does during it.

However, I think the owner should have a good long talk with his daughter on the company of friends she chooses to keep. Who in their right mind wants to party with someone who has such a lack of control with alcohol that he black outs and pees himself?

And semi nekkid with 70,000 chickens

The daughter thought he left out of her window without his pants when they heard papa coming in the house...Anyone think he may have paid the farmers daughter a visit after the concert?

Death of 70,000 chickens only makes news when it is caused by a drunken idiot. Millions of chicken die every day so that you carnivores can eat them.

A drunk, the farmer's daughter and 70,000 chickens --- Leno's gonna have a field day!

sunlitensmiles,

"do chickens need an air conditioner at night?"

Pardon my ignorance, but I was wondering something along the same lines. Do chickens these days need to be plugged in to survive? It sounds like if they are unplugged for more than 15 minutes, they will die like a battery. What gives? What are they doing to our chickens?

Forgive my ignorance, as I know nothing of keeping large numbers of chickens, but why do the chickens die within 15 minutes if the power goes out?

You guys crack me up.

The chicken droppings give off amonia. When there are 70,000 in one building the amonia levels get toxic quickly without exhaust vents. That's why they die that fast. The farmer should have an alarm to sound when the vents fail though...

Oh Americans, only concerned with money. 74 posts here about who's paying whom $20k or $200k for "destruction of property" and I read only one comment about holding this man accountable for the fact that he killed animals. Malicious or not, intentional or not, this man should be held accountable for animal neglect, his actions directly contributed to the needless and inhumane death of 70,000 animals.

COYOTEHUNTER

Imagine price of chicken McNuggets will go up now...

If McNuggets were made from actual chicken-meat, then yes they would go up

Endless productive members of U.S. society keep rolling out of the trailer park.

Hopefully, the farmer's daughter isn't baking this low IQ drunk's bun in her oven.

Give him a shortened jail time if he agrees to join the military in a war zone. He can repay the farmer from his soldier pay (which granted comes from taxpayers); not as if this moron will ever be good for much else than the govt. employer of last resort. The problem with so many American males is that they never learned any discipline or respect for others as boys.

Feel bad for all those chickens....feel bad for the owner....anyone want to insert a "choke your chicken" joke here?

I believe this may be the first case of "chickacide". I have to admit, being a city slicker, I was confused by the correlation between chickens and electric power. I was pretty sure chickens weren't full of electronics.

Frank,

"The chicken droppings give off amonia. When there are 70,000 in one building the amonia levels get toxic quickly without exhaust vents"

Thanks for the explanation! I didn't know that. It would have been nice if the article had explained it. I guess that's one of the problems also with the gradual disappearance of the small farmer in the U.S. Too many farms these day are owned by big corporations and operated in a mass production manner. I don't think this would ever have happened on a small farm.

Debt (W) YES - YOU built that... Republicans!

whats a couple of nice chickens like you doing in a coupe like this?

and the chicken lover strikes again!!

MmmMmmBear -

These animals were going to be slaughtered anyways so let's relent with the tired chastising of American greed. If you're American I care little about your disdain for the wealth and the culture of your own country. If you're not American, F off, I care even less about your opinion and envy of America. This guy was a drunken ass who needs to be held accountable. I'm sorry the chickens' date with destiny arrived sooner than expected and I feel slightly worse for the farmer. I agree with those who have opined that he should have been more prepared; electricity can go out at any time. There has to be a backup plan (really a series of backup plans) in place for such occasions.

the chickens need ventilator fans to circulate the air and remove the ammonia that builds up from their manure. If it gets over 80 to 85 degrees they do need to be cooled. All those little bodies put off alot of heat. There might have been am alarm if the power "went out" due to an outage or blackout but not if the power is switched off. I copied that from another post. I was disturbed by the article.Yes I eat chicken but More and more I find I cannot eat any of the meat that lands on my plate ( where I live someone just throws meat on my plate ) I am not sure exactly how these chickens died but it does not sound pretty,though what would be a pretty death? I wonder if it was an easier death than say the chopping block or slaughterhouse. In any case when you mix alcohol w/ jerkweed and turn off the lights you might even molest a chicken and then pee your pants. As for the folks who do not know how chickens are raised so you can have your ten piece bucket and gizzards too...look into it. It is not for the squeamish :>

He will probably have to pay the 20k to the farmer, but for people saying animal abuse, no court in the US will convict him of that. He didnt know he turned off the power. Its not like he kicked the chickens or something. He accidently flipped a switch that killed chickens. There is no manslaughter charge for animals. It was a complete accident, he wont be charged.

I had no idea chickens ran on electricity.

Oh don't act like you never got drunk and woke up in a pool of your own urine, surrounded by 20k dead chickens......

Depending on any contract between the farmer and the processing plant, the farm might have to go out and buy replacement chickens (same age/breed) from another farmer to fulfill the contract with the processing plant. Duh. Now, anybody wonder what's going thru the farmer's mind when he's wondering where he's going to get those chickens when any other farmer in the area is probably also under contract. Remember, and this depends on location and farm crop or livestock, few farmers grow anything without someplace to sell. The rest cross their fingers and hope they make enough at auction to pay the cost of shipping crates and gasoline

i dont feel sorry for the owners loss. thats what happens when you keep chicken in doors crowded like that instead of a real farm with natural air. lock the drunk crazy man up and let the owner lose all that money. no1 cares about his buisness. go broke.

rc,

"lock the drunk crazy man up"

For the most part, I agree with you. That's the problem with modern "agribusiness" when farms are run by big corporations for mass production instead of small farms where thousands of chickens would not have to live under such conditions. But as for the young man who did this, he is obviously an alcoholic and needs to get help for his drinking problem, although I wouldn't disagree that a short stint in the slammer would be a good idea for him until he sobers up.

GetReal-3945171-What happens to the carcasses of that many chickens?

Chicken McNuggets.

JK-4363698-I had no idea chickens ran on electricity.

It's that new Chicken Volt. Be careful, they've been known to just burst into flames.

everyone here just seems to be talking about the money and making jokes, how about the way those poor chickens died, heat stroke and suffocation is not a nice way to die.

#1 Concert was not held on Chicken farm. Farmer did not serve alcohol to drunk. Read story - A group of concert goers picked up farmers daughter to GO elsewhere to concert..though it was Nearby (blocks or miles?). Obviously a lot of drunks and defense by confusion lawyers in readership pool.

#2 The heat of 70,000 chickens packed shoulder to shoulder kills before ammonia - especially in summer. Chickens are hot blooded and have no sweat glands. Interstingly enough indoor concerts can have similar problems if AC dies...though we don't lock people in.

those who think playing round up with 70000 chicken running loose in wild is practial ...hell yeah let us return to the days were every individual must catch and gather and prepare their own dinner from the wild. Let us start with you city dweller's commute timeto rural area then work up to point where you run down natural chicken with sharp spurs in the woods. Maybe after 98% of you starve to death in first couple weeks...

...yup human city dwellers are also in a similar caged environment highly dependent on external support like chicken on farms. Not saying there is no way to improve conditions at all...but the old "lets just bust the system and return to caveman days approach" can kill you at same time as all those unnaturally raised chickens are released to die.

littlechanges

Give him a shortened jail time if he agrees to join the military in a war zone

---------------------------------------------

Whose military???? Would you want some guy like this watching your back in a firefight? I doubt the French Foreign Legion would take him.

Max^108

Millions of chicken die every day so that you carnivores can eat them.

And each and everyone of those chickens is finger-lickin' good.

For everyone asking why the farmer's cut was $20,000 and the producer $220,000 I'll explain this. The farmer never owned the birds. He is just paid $20,000 to raise them for 3-5 weeks. The producer even supplies the feed.

Other posters have pretty well covered how chickens die rapidly without electricity so I won't be repetitive about it.

At the least they need motion sensors at the entrances to the chicken houses. The ones that only go off if an object heavier than 70 lbs trips it. At least they would know if someone was in there at night. But then again folks are idiots in Delmar which is half in delaware & half in Maryland.

SANDRA-3169616

everyone here just seems to be talking about the money and making jokes, how about the way those poor chickens died, heat stroke and suffocation is not a nice way to die.

You're pint being what? Chickens are not human beings. They are not persons. They are blobs of protoplasmic tissue that taste delicious. If you believe that chickens are something more than that, go ahead. But keep your beliefs to yourself. The rest of us who enjoy a good chicken dinner have the right to choose what we want to consume within our own bodies. We're sick and tired of you anti-choice chicken lovers telling us what we can do with out own bodies. Because chickens are not living human beings, they cannot be killed by suffocation or heat stroke or anything else. Things that are not fully alive cannot be killed. Get over it.

Don't like chicken dinner? Don't have one.

Pro-choice!

Why not process them and feed them to the criminals in the local state penitentiary?

Winner! Winner! (Marinated) Chicken dinner!

The criminals would probably claim abuse. You probably wouldn't give a rotten chicken to your dog.

The only reason the birds died is because they were packed INHUMANELY with NO ROOM TO MOVE OR BREATHE

without the massive fans.

Allen Farms caused the death of these birds and should accept FULL RESPONSIBILITY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You probably wouldn't give a rotten chicken to your dog.

-----------------------

That's correct, I like my dogs much better than I like most people, dogs don't betray or turn their backs on you.

I wouldn't give any chicken to my dogs, the bones in poultry are BAAAAD for them....

MBinCoeur Not but a few people in prison would deserve to eat rotten chicken. Just think about it for a while, along with all the reasons a person could be in prison and you will agree. I wouldn't feed it to a stray dog...that bit me!

He was only in there looking for some cute chicks...but he was too drunk to get laid....and now he has egg on his face....how sad....

Not to worry... some company called Chick Fillet bought them all. Something about using them for their northern stores.

When found guilty he should be tarred and feathered..........

This really ruffles my feathers!

The perp should be breaded and deep fried. Perp Nugget.

Was he drunk on "old crow"?

you just couldn't resist, could you?

i swear i saw this on an episode of THE SIMPSONS........HEY! IS THAT HOMER!

Badger1: Perhaps it was Wild Turkey.

I'm not usually one to blame the victim but why would the farmer not have a lock on the door or at least a lock on the off switch? Especially considering he is hosting parties with lots of drunk college kids on the property! It seems insane to me when you have that much at stake not to take some precautionary measures.

Badger1, it could've been Famous Grouse.

I don't understand why you cant still eat them. They died within 24 hours, they were going to be processed that day anyway... whats the big deal?

Let us now how that works out for you...sheeeesh

20K to the farmer and another 200K to the producer. so 220K total in loss.\

not so cheap now is it.

So the producer has a 1,000% markup? Seems pretty lucrative.

I was thinking the same. The farmer gets 35 cents and the producer gets 3.50?? Now that's some bullsh$t.

The construction of the facility was likely funded through the processor or a co-op (cooperative, not a typo of coop). The $20,000 that the farmer lost may just be his compensation as the site manager.

Well, there are only a few meat packing companies left now unlike the past. So the farmers have very limited options who to sell to. If you watch Food,Inc. you'll see how farmers are getting screwed over.

It may be that the processor actually owns all the chickens in the first place, and is just paying the farmer to raise them. They provide the chicks, they provide the feed. Much like Hunt's paying farmers to grow the special tomatoes for their ketchup (or was it Heinz?). Anyway, if the processor has specific standards for the type of chickens they sell, they could be 'farming out' the raising. That would explain the extremely low cost (one live chicken is not sold for .30).

" keep coming back"

Coos Bay.....you could have ended up on the sawdust mountain

WTF republic??? Started a party in Seattle and ended up in Coos Bay OR???? Should stopped off in Salem OR and shared some of whatever you were high on with me!!! That's a hell of long drive NOT to remember!!!!! 6+ hours journey, who the heck took you there?????? HOpe you didn't drive!!

So you eat Tofu? Just think of how those poor beans are screaming as they are being pressed into blocks just to satisfy your base desires. Listen, does not that screaming make you ashamed.

I love animals, they are delicious.

Corn is good food.

Beans...chickens...not biologically, or morally, comparable.

Same favor as them chickens would get next day at producer plant.

Lotto - Aren't a lot of humans experiencing the same life as these chickens? Fattened up by high fructose corn syrup laden foods and barely able to support the weight of their own bodies. The only difference is that if you're a human, you can be transported around by a Rascal scooter and probably won't wind up being slaughtered to become a McNugget.

"probably"?

Never been on a farm that raised chickens, have you? Never been on a farm at all, have you? These chickens are raised for meat, not pate. I guarandamntee you these chickens could outrun your butt.

If turning off a power switch killed all of those Chickens, they were only being kept alive by air-conditioning+oxygen infusion because they were so over-crowded that they couldn't survive without more air pumped into their cages. This man accidentally did a great kindness for these animals who were in great pain.

wildcatwest and others- yeah, he did them SUCH a favor to let them suffocate to death over several hours! that was SO kind of him.<eye roll> the death they would have had the next day at the processor would have been almost instant, not to mention that 70,000 lives that would have sustained other lives in turn have now been wasted

Actually, from the time they hatched to when they were scheduled to go to the processing plant was likely 9 to 12 weeks. The chicken you buy in the store does nothing but eat and drink 24/7 and must be kept in a lighted enclosure so they can eat and grow rapidly (chickens do not eat in the dark). They are a hybrid, a Cornish X Rock, that was developed for fast growth.

Thanks for driving up the price of chicken Moron! I hope he at least bit one, cracked an egg, anything aside from just pee on himself.

Sunlite, ever hear of soylent green?? Could happen!?!?!

Let us take a look at the whole picture!!!!! The article should have read that a farmer's daughter brought a drunk home and lost him. The drunk went into the chicken life line house and pulled the plug, causing thousands of chickens to die. Man charged with burglery in a murder case. FYI if invited on the property then it is not brug. it is not tresspassing. She knew his state of being and should be held for her negligence also. My son invited a kid in my home. He sais he was going to the bathroom, ended up in my room and stole a naked picture of me. He sexted it put it on the internet. Spread it all over. When caught he all they could charge him with was theft, because he was invited in. This charge could benefit this young man in the long run. And What the heck are chicken's on life support now?????? This is truley cruelty! What happens if the farmer has a stroke in the power house and hits the switch and kills thousands. Then it's okay because their his chickens. NO!!!!!! Measures should be taken if they are going to put these chickens on life support. Locks of the power switch should have already been done. Trusting! No! not with that many lives. Looking at any situtation like what it, or just in case, not oh it's never happened before. Is human error in the making. Precautions should have been take in the begining.......

I can't think of what to say, It's just so refreshing to hear a true naked picture of me story..Lol I dunno I personally don't keep naked pix of myself handy.I have low self esteeme :(

I think the point was missed.....Not saying I do it wasa snap shot for my husband.. It was hidden in his drawer for over 3 yrs.

Well I really hope that he now recognizes the fact the it's just too dangerous for him to consume alcohol.

It wasn't always that way for me but it sure is now.

Yeah, makes you wonder what really goes on in there if they will die that fast without power.

Lord

Can you imagine what it would be like in a room with 70,000 chickens and no ventilation?

It's the way the houses are ventilated. A large bank of fans at one end pulls air longways down the houses. If the fans aren't running, fresh air isn't pulled in, and the birds suffocate as ~20K of them in each house quickly use up all the oxygen.

They could have EXPLAINED why the chickens died when the power was off!! Were they on life support or what?! Im curious!!

Zod & model railroad man -

this is a very serious story, and you made me LMAO!

I feel so ashamed.

I wondered the same thing. That the conditions were such that death would occur in 15 minutes? Doesn't sound healthy at all.

Well, and Robot Chicken came to mind.

LOL thanks Jason I was also very confused as to why in the world the electricity being out would make them all die, I was like are they so scared of the dark they start committing suicide? Ventilation makes sense, but the article REALLY should have explained that!

It,s not the Energizer Chickens, that's for sure.

Jason, you might also add that when the power goes off and there is no lights or air circulating the chickens will panic and pile up on one another. Much like people do when there is a fire in a crowded building.

hickory, chickens kept in these buildings are in small cages- too small to pile up. what you are describing happens when they are kept in free-range pens on the floor

If you took 70000 humans and shoved them all into a tiny little warehouse - and then somebody shut off the power....yes, all of the humans would be dead, too.

As for the farmer not putting a lock on his power control shed...well, he's an idiot. A padlock is $5.

And - if the farmer had put the padlock on - well, this wouldn't be in the news at all. Living free of crime is one thing. Living lazy and stupid is completely different.

These are broiler chickens, meaning they are raised for meat. They are not kept in cages, they are in a large flat-bottomed building with water and feed troughs suspended from the ceiling. Modern facilities have large exhaust fans and curtains or shutters that adjust automatically in response to changes in temperature. Lighting also is controlled and changes with time of day and how open/shut the shutters/curtains are.

If this were an accidental power outage, an automatic generator would have kicked in and a signal sent to a third-party monitoring company, where a living person will contact the site manager personally until someone answers and responds to the alert. If the site manager doesn't answer, this could go as far as contacting local authorities to check. Should have had a lock on the door tho.

They die from lack of oxygen, rapid build-up of ammonia gas (from the guano), and heat build-up from the body heat.

The same thing happens in high density hog houses. At a large corporate operation in Indiana, power was lost due to shorted underground electric feeder lines. There were backup generators, but only one electrical path to the ventilator fans. A farmhand almost died trying to save as many hogs as possible - he used fire hoses to try to cool them. The heat finally drove him out. There were thousands of dead hogs - had to open pits with a bulldozer to bury them. Big job for the plaintiffs' attorneys, pointing blame at the electric cable manufacturer and distributor, the design architectural engineer, the installation contractor, etc.

I beg to differ, Allie. These chickens are not in cages. Laying hens are sometimes kept in cages to ease the work of gathering the eggs. Broilers are loose on the floor that is covered in sawdust or wood chips. They have room to move around. I don't know where you live but I have never seen chickens penned in cages unless they were layers and where I live is a major poultry producing county.

I am more familiar with the keeping of laying-hens. when we raise our own meat chickens we do it pretty much as you describe, except only in batches of 20 and in outdoor pens. I was not aware that they could raise meat birds profitably that way on such a large scale. thank you for the information

They could have EXPLAINED why the chickens died when the power was off!! Were they on life support or what?! Im curious!!

They didn't explain because they got the story from a local news outlet, and around here, we all know why.

And for posters who wonder why there wasn't a lock on the door--I've lived in the area for 40+ years, and have NEVER heard of someone turning off power to chicken houses. I'm sure it never occurred to the farmer that he needed a lock.

Moron.

ROFL !!!! Too bad he didn't have an electric fence to pee on...That would of got his attention!

Probably he trying to rape the chickens

Alan that's just a little too twisted and woud think, phyically impossible!! Unless....have you tried it??? Do tell!!!

Actually if you read Bradford's On Plymouth Plantation (the diary of the Mayflower Pilgrims), you'll find the story of Thomas Granger -- a 17 year old put to death for beastiality. One of the victims was a turkey. Thanksgiving anyone?

I completely agree. I personally get tired of hearing about drunks starting bar brawls, driving under the influence, causing accidents, and yes let's not forget the loud, obnoxious jackwagons that loose their hearing while they drink so they have to yell and scream.

Living here in Montana, we have a small poultry barn, where we raise our own chickens for eggs and meat. Of course, we don't feed them steroids, antibiotics or hormones - the very reason why we started raising our own chickens. But Jason #8.3 is exactly correct. In larger barns ventillation is dependent on electricity. A combination of heat (imagine wearing a fur coat in 100 degree weather), nitrogen (the biproduct of chicken poo), and the "crowded" conditions and for sure those birds would die within minutes without that ventillation. Someone suggested locking the door to the power shed, and I can tell you that might sound like a swell idea to someone that has no farm experience, but, it isn't very practical when you are working multiple barns, out buildings, ect and have to haul around not only the stuff you need to work those barns, but a ring of 50-60 keys as well.

The bottom line is THIS GUY shouldn't have been so damned DRUNK to cause an incident like this. I would suggest as punishment, they lock him in a hot barn, with a heavy winter coat, and turn off all the ventillation and let him expire the same way those flocks did. And before people start crying about the poor drunk, stop and think if that poor drunk (who apparently has a booze addiction) were to have instead of turning off power, decided to drive instead. I personally think a DUI offense should be charged as attempted vehicular homicide and should carry a sentence just as stiff, if not more harsh. Those that kill while under the influence, should be executed.

It is about time we started punishing people for the wrongs they do, instead of hugging them, patting them on the head and telling them
"it's ok." Responsibility and Accountability is what this society is lacking. And unfortunately no one has the guts to hold people to task for the things they do.

Legalize marijuana, outlaw alcohol!

What was he REALLY doing to those chickens. Certain men have been caught in the past raping chickens. Maybe this guy was trying to cover up mass chicken rape.

Execute a 21yr old kid for accidentally killing some chickens... what an as$ H*&e.

CHICKENS!!!!!!!!! Feh!

Just charge him with 70,00 felony counts of animal cruelty

never-

"Don't believe a word those chickens say. They're all liars!"

Sorry Will, ultimately responsibility for care of the livestock falls to the farmer. As for the 50-60 keys reason for not exercising that responsibility is plain naive. Multiple locks can be keyed to a single key. Now you are down to one key....and your livestock (livelihood) is protected.

I'm not defending the drunk kid. But, if a lock had been on that shed - we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Even if a civil court finds the drunk liable for the financial losses, he can just declare bankruptcy to get relief. That would probably be his quickest cleanup - sign an IOU and file for bankruptcy.

@DS - The point DS is we have entirely too many drunks or alcoholics as some may prefer to call them. Do you realize the exact damned cost to each of us these weak willed, booze addicts actually put on the rest of us. The cost is STAGGERING. And for what? A night out with reckless abandon, not giving a damn about anyone or anything other than THEIR GOOD TIME.

How damned difficult is it to BEFORE you go out to have a designated driver. How hard is it to limit yourself to 1 or 2 drinks. How hard is it to keep an extra 20 or 30 bux in your wallet for a cab? How hard is it to actually include "how am I getting home" in the Planning of going out? And how many times do we need to see such and such an accident claimed this many lives, speed and alcohol were factors. Or how many Joe Shmoe's were just convicted of their 8th, 9th, 10th, 18th DUI? Hmmm.

Sure, you can say "what an a**hole" about me all you like, but if I am the a*shole, then the drunks are certainly the sht that comes out of it. There is NO excuse, none whatsoever for the irresponsible, wreckless, and selfish behavior that comes from drunks.

As far as the legalize pot comment goes, sure, why don't we just legalize it and add to more under the influence drivers and morons on the streets. That "harmless drink", that "it's only beer", argument is responsible for more deaths a year than murder. Addiction is addiction, and believe me, your POT is just as addictive, if not moreso, than beer. Otherwise, why would you smoke it...

Will, I agree completely....EVERY PERSON who gets behind the wheel drunk SHOULD BE PROSECUTED to the FULLEST extent!!!! Think of all the people lost due to all those selfish bas+ards that think they can do no wrong. I think they should add a law... If they don't kill someone...charge them with attempted murder. If they do kill someone...charge them with PREMEDITATED 1st Degree MURDER!!!!

Will, were you ever young and dumb??? You honestly never had a couple too many??? Never, ever, ever tied one on???? Either your a straight up saint or I think I have to call bull@!$%#!!!! He wasn't behind the wheel of a car and no thanks to the farmers daughter, who knew he was on the property and drunk beyond reason, he ended up in the shed.

Doeyes, I absolutely agree that people have to be punished for driving drunk. My grandmother was killed by a 15 year old drunk driver.(1973, Elsie Nebra. pop. 300 with one paved street in the whole town) But, this story is NOT about drunk driving. Howver, if saying it over and over stops one person from doing it then here it is. PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE. (In loving memory of Alta Peterson.) Have to forgive the punk that killed her because that's what she'd wanted.

@skrewd - I grew up in an alcoholic home. Yes, I have gone out and had a few drinks, but NEVER got behind the wheel. I ALWAYS have a DD before I leave the house, and I always tuck 30 in the wallet for a cab in case my DD even has a sip. That is called being responsible. And if while I am out and see my DD drinking, my night out is over and I never ask that person to DD ever again. But you see THAT is the difference. My SAFE TRIP HOME is the 1st thing I plan even BEFORE I go out to have a drink.

Now you can say what you want and think what you will, but ask anyone that knows me in person, and they will tell you, I don't even take an aspirin and get behind the wheel. Driving is a priviledge not a right. And I take that responsibility of operating a 3500lb hunk of metal pretty damned serious. I do not drive without making sure all passengers have seat belts on, I don't have horseplay or the assinine juvie behavior of playing slap happy in the truck, nor do I piss around with my cell phone, stereo, fix my hair, dig in my nose, or the host of other bullsht people do as they take driving their cars as some 2nd nature extension of their dysfunctional lives. I am different in that regard. Though you shouldn't see me as the exception considering that is HOW WE ARE SUPPOSED TO OPERATE motor vehicles. The exception, should be the jackasses drinking and driving, but we know that to be more of the norm now don't we.

I have long advocated a solution to DUIs. A rather simple solution costing no more than perhaps a $100.00 investment, and in fact the solution can be found in just about any pharmacy. Back in the old days when you went to a restruant, the theatre, or even most social gatherings, you would check your coat and hat at the door. You would get a claim stub for your coat and hat when you were ready to leave. So why not REQUIRE places that serve alcohol to make patrons CHECK THEIR KEYS. If you come into the bar or what have you and you check your keys, you get a claim stub, and you get a hand stamp (like bars that actually check IDs before selling do). At the end of the night, in order to claim your keys, you blow into a hand held toximeter. Under the limit - here is your keys. Over the limit - here is your cab. If you don't have the money for a cab, the bar can pay the fare. When you have sobered up and come to reclaim your keys, you pay the bar back. And in most places, they have a safe ride program through either the local PD or through the various tow truck companies or even some of the cab companies. What would force the bars into compliance would be a 3 strikes ordinance. If a person is caught DUI they go back to the last point of sale. They CITE the bar 2500.00 fine 1st citation, $5k 2nd citation, and $35k for the 3rd violation and revocation of their booze license.

My thought process is pretty simple really. IF the person supplying the booze is more concerned about making a buck, rather than following the existing law that says they are not supposed to over serve then let em suffer the consequence of putting greed before public safety. If after 2 offenses they just don't get it, then they don't need to be serving. If you can sue a doctor or a pharmaceudical company over a reaction to medication, then certainly we know BOOZE is a sure intoxicant. If the alcoholics can't drink responsibly, then certainly the people that supply that booze should serve it responsibly...

And yes, we need to certainly make the DUI laws on offenders much much more stringent than they are now. I certainly endorse a .08 gets you 8 for your 1st offense. .08 on your 2nd offense gets you 16. And by the time you even consider a 3rd offense, well I am sure after a total of 24 years in prison with no parole, no time off for good behavior, and working a public service project on a chain gang (to help you "detox") you probably wouldn't want the 24 year sentence for your 3rd offense, so chances are you won't even consider drinking and driving, and you might just think about that safe ride, preplanning a hell of a lot more. But until there is SERIOUS PENALTIES for offenders, there is NO DETERRENT for people to even think twice. And that is what we need. DETERRENCE

Will the Watcher, you sound like a joy to be around, let me tell you.

Throw them all in a big vat of boiling water, pluck out the feathers, throw them in a huge blender, and....

voila!!! Straight to McDonald's in the form of chicken mcnuggets!!!

Well Mike, let me ask you this. Would you rather be in the car with someone who doesn't pay attention to what they are doing, or relying on your safe ride home being the guy that only had 10 beers instead of 20 like everyone else? If your kids (old enought to drink that is) were going out with thier friends wouldn't you want them with someone that is safety minded or would you prefer to have them hanging out with mindless buffoons that cared more about being "cool" than doing the right thing. Because I can tell you there are a lot of cool people out there that are now either dead, childless, spouseless, and suffer as a victim of either a drunk driver or have multiple DUIs.

And yes, I am quite a joy to be around - (when we get to where we are going.)

Perhaps you haven't seen enough accidents or known enough people killed by the assinine shinanagans of inattentive drivers, drunk drivers, or the plain too irresponsible to be permitted to drive. Attend a few funerals or bedside vigils and tell me how "joyful" that experience is...

I stopped reading at some point, so maybe I missed it: but how did this conversation turn into one about drunk drivers? The guy was walking... I saw no mention in the article of him driving while drunk.

Exactly Nova!!!! Will sorry to hear about how you grew up. Perhaps your one of the lucky ones. Many who grow up in alcoholic familes end up carrying on the tradition.I know a little about growing up in a dysfunctional family and can completely understand your stance on drunk driving (did you even read my post regarding DD's and my G-ma's death?)I DEFINETLY have attended funerals or lost friends and accquaintances to overuse or irresponsibility with drugs and/or alcohol. I think your idea about the key check in/out in bars is a pretty good idea. NOt sure if the logistics of it could be made to work but it's worth a shot.

BTW-A friends dad liked to have a few at his local bar/reaturant 1 block from his home. He'd being going there on a regular basis for at least 20 years. He was walking the block home when a young cop pulled him over for drunk walking!!! The young buck took the man straight to jail. When they arrived a the jail this cop was told to meet Mr. @^%#, then chewed his butt up one side and down the other for arresting a guy being responsible and heading home.

Having said that...The young. 21 year old, basically still a kid, WAS NOT driving a car, was NOT charged with drunk driving and we don't even know if he drove to the property. While I understand your stance completely you'd be better served discussing it on another story where the IDIOTS were driving, attempting to drive etc..

drugs is BAD, oo HUmmmK!!??

Being sTUPID makes like hard and filled with troubles.

being DRUNK and sTUPID makes life a biaatch!!!

sober UP America!!!

The lawyer will hope the survivors have dead kin, in order to go for wrongful death and beaucoup corn meal in damages.

you want me to feed my dog chickens that laid there dead in a hot barn for 10 or 12 hours? no thanks, I can't afford the vet bills for that

Depends on how much it costs to process them.

I agree. only 20 grand for raising 70,000 chickens? If I were the farmer, I would definitely demand a better price.

The farmer has a contract to grow the broilers for three to five weeks. The producer owns the confinement houses and provides the feed and all those drugs they feed them. The producer trucks the chicks in and comes back and picks up the broiler. Those chicks grow from day old to ready to butcher in one month! The farmer has very little invested but the time spent feeding and watering the flock for a very short time, then cleaning out those big houses to get ready for the next 70,000.

The reason that they die in 15 minutes if the power goes off is that they are packed in so tight that they don't have room to spread their wings or even turn around. Their beaks are cut off so they can't peck each other to death. They grow so quick that they can't support their own weight--mostly because they can't move to build any muscle. It's the price the chickens pay so the public can have 'tender' chicken.

Unless those illegal immigrants doing the processing are getting free health care that is a bit steep. Wait, thanks to Obama they are getting free health care. Talk about chicken sh--.

must be from texas

"without power, the chickens will begin to die within 15 minutes"

if the Repulicans lose again in November, I wonder how long can they survive ?

Please read 15.3 above. The 'farmer' has almost no investment except time spent feeding, watering and going through each day and picking up the dead chickens that pile up on the floors.

Typically, the processor owns the chickens from the beginning to the end.

The grower only houses them for an allotted time depending on what weight the processor is wanting. The grower makes roughly .05 cents per pound growing out the survivors that make it to processing.

The grower is responsible for all expenditures of running his houses, i.e. electricity, gas, maintaining the grounds and houses, including all the equipment inside the houses. And with a die out such as this, he must pay all expenses to gather and dispose of the carcases. And to top it off, the processor has a contract with each grower, and can void it for such occurrences, leaving a grower with a million dollar investment without any return.

republic, why did you have to make it political? and why did you have to tell a straight out lie while in the process of making it political? maybe you should turn off the 24-hour-news channel and try having a life. jeesh...

totherepublic - Your brains are chicken shi-.

I think I was on that trip myself was that you, man? I don't rememer the 60's at all so I had to have been there.

Ha! love it.

You should really credit that to Gilbert Shelton's Oat Willie.

HA, LMAO!!!

hahaha thank you cbrown.

The processor owns the barns, chickens, and every thing to do with the property. The processor pays for the feed and power. The farmer contracts with the processor to feed the birds for a few weeks, maintain the property, and clean the barns. The farmer has very little if any investment but gets well compensated for a dirty, stinky, very demanding job.

I don't know how things are done where you live, commonsense, but in my area the farmer has to build the houses with his own money at about $250,000 a pop. He also pays for the chicken feed, upkeep of the houses, medicene, etc. The chicken processor dictates any changes in the way houses are built and what goes into the makeup of the feed and how much he pays for the birds. The processor can also terminate the contract at any time. It's like any thing else that is grown for food. The farmer has no bargaining power as to what he is paid for his crops. He can take what he is offered or dump his crops on the ground. There is a reason why family farms are going extinct. All of you farm experts on here need to get out of the city limits and find out what is actually going on with your food supply. Don't depend on the news media to furnish you with straight facts. You ain't gonna get them.

Then I suppose it depends on the contract between the processor and the farmer. In some cases it is as Common says, in others as hickory says. I would think that the feed issue would be dependent on whether or not the processor is making any assertions concerning the feed (e.g. vegetarian fed). If so, the processor probably provides the feed they require. There would be a lot of potential variables in the situation.

With out power the fans wont run and the heat rises thus killing the chicken.They have so many chickens in these barns that there is no need to heat them in the winter. Most chicken barns have back up generators for this reason.

Jarrod, Back up generators work when there is an outage due to a blackout or lost power from the power company. Shutting the power off in a single barn by flipping a switch doesn't engage the auxilliary power. That main generator would be set up to turn on of power was lost to the whole farm.

Chickens can not stand high heat in penned in areas...........the stupid drunk turned off the power there fore they died .......throw the book at him.

Very much on point, Mr. Republic.

Keeping chickens for fun is far different than keeping them for profit and the food chain. This man was in business, not for fun and frolic.

vttova

I remember my grandparents had many chickens and they never died if there was a heat wave or cold weather. I guess if you cram alot of chickens in a small area they will die from heat. It's sad but I agree with 25sed when they said it was probably nothing but business. I'm not a vegetarian, but it really makes my skin crawl when I hear this type of story. Sometimes I question eating chickens or other meat when I hear about this cruelty.

I stopped eating meat because of situations like this and the abuse of cattle, pigs, and turkeys at factory farms and slaughterhouses. Buying products from these industries made me feel like I was aiding and abetting a crime. I've felt healthier since becoming a vegetarian, and I don't miss meat at all. I sleep better at night, too.

I have 5 chickens in my yard and they need electric because they wont lay if they dont get to watch their soaps on their big screen every day.

I agree with utova. I'm not a vegetarian, I don't even think that "ethical" treatment of animals is all that important, but any animal that can't survive for 15 min exposed to the elements is odviously a very unhealthy animal.

And a sad commentary on the state of American farmers, as well. The fool's livelihood is based on getting those chickens to the processor alive, and he doesn't even have a cheap little battery-powered alarm to back up his big, fancy generator.

Incidental note to other farmers: Those auto-start generators sometimes don't auto-start, just like every other gadget.

What's your contingency plan for a lightning strike that takes out your power and generator? Suicide?

I like to think my grandfathers would have been more careful than this. They sure seemed to be.

Having as few and 70,000 is totally different. These chickens have to have power for one to keep the smell of their feces down so they don't die, to keep the heat down with fans so they don't suffocate. Without power they don't grow. Chickens do not eat in the dark so without light they won't eat. They are fed for two months like this to grow at an extremely fast rate. Without farmers like this we couldn't have the amount of chicken meat we do at the store or restaraunts.

Why did the chicken cross the road?? Apparently to escape this chicken farm hell and drunks!

Google this frendubs......Your ridiculous advertisements DO NOT belong here!!!! Moderators!!!!!!!! Why is this allowed???????????

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and ???????????????? don't belong here either but we let you stay. Post and let post, scroll and ignore what you don't like.