If you are looking for humanly raised chicken try to find locally raised, pastured chickens. That is the only way that you will know, for sure, that the chicken you buy has been humanly raised. If you read Michael Pollens book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" he specifically talks about this issue with industrial organic chickens. The only thing that makes a chicken "organic" is that is was fed organic feed, and was "allowed access to the outdoors". I put that in quotes because, just because a chicken has access to the outdoors doesn't mean it will ever go outside. Most oraganic chickens are raised in sheds, and are not allowed outside until they are 5 weeks old. By then they don't want to go outside anymore, these chickens are also the same breed of chicken that all the big chicken producers use, so they produce big breasts, and are also very susceptible to disease. That's one of the reasons why that aren't allowed outside until they are 5 weeks old, and why they are soooo expensive. It takes a lot more money to produce a big chicken without antibiotics.
In my area I have been able to find pastured chickens at our local co-op, and farmers markets. Knowing I bought a chicken that was allowed to be a chicken, i.e. scrating in the dirt, running around outside, eating bugs and grass, it's whole life is more important to me then whether or not it's "organic".
mostly curious about chicken, but other meat as well.
