This winter, a woman made headlines around the world when she opened a box of chicken wings and found a chicken head inside. The photo of the offensive find was in all the papers: a hen’s head, cut off at the neck, her upper beak severed as is always done on factory farms. Of course, the woman wanted a different body part—not this “disgusting” head. But, surely, what is truly disgusting is that an addiction to animal flesh caused this poor bird to lose her head—and her life—in the first place.

Lots of people no longer eat “red” meat; they know that it’s unhealthy. Fewer people, however, realize that chicken is also unhealthy. Not just because of the risk of getting the stomach flu—or worse—from the bacteria in that flesh, but because even with the skin removed, the eater cannot escape a hearty dose of cholesterol and fat.

I once spent several months in rural Ireland. The nuns next door kept a flock of chickens. Their feathers sparkled with splashes of green, orange, and black. When they bent down to peck at the ground, you got a peek at their billowing “bloomers.”

Every day, the rooster crowed, waking his little flock up to admire the dawn. He woke me up, too, but it was such an exuberant greeting that I forgave him. He would escort his women out into the garden and guard them from intruders, such as the postman or the newspaper boy. Knowing he was on duty, they contentedly foraged, dustbathed, gossiped, ate berries, and soaked up the sun.

One has to ask: Isn’t there enough to eat without tormenting—and beheading—sweet little girls like these? The answer is “yes!” In this issue, you will find great recipes and resources. Please pass them on—and pass on the wings and other chicken parts, too.

For the animals,

Ingrid Newkirk
President