International Respect for Chickens Day Celebrates Chickens

UPC's First Annual International Respect for Chickens Day, May 4th, got off to a great start! We thank all who took part and urge everyone to start planning what YOU can do on May 4th 2006 – and every day – to celebrate the life of chickens and protest against the bleakness of chickens' lives in farming and cockfighting operations. Here are some highlights – and creative ideas – from this year's event.

DEAR UPC -

"Congratulations on your special day. I heard several mentions of it on the local radio news broadcasts. Thanks for updating me and slipping the title of our forthcoming movie Chicken Little into your announcement. That was a nice surprise." – Tom Celli, The Walt Disney Studios

"One woman home-schooling her six year old daughter, Emma, called to sign up for our vegan kids class this Saturday saying her daughter was very moved by this week's show on International Respect for Chickens Day." – Janice Blue, Go Vegan Texas! KPFT Radio

"Thank YOU! A woman called in from New York City to listen to our show on International Respect for Chickens Day via the phone. She's a freelance writer who is writing an article about chickens and people who are trying to help them." – Suzanne Dragan, "Animal Talk," Central Jersey 1450 WCTC

"I run a small email newsletter for my clients and heard about International Respect for Chickens Day. I composed an email with links about chickens and dedicated the whole issue to them." – Holly Russo, wavian.com

"I distributed 200 Chickens brochures today at George Mason University and gave some to the librarians to put on the public information racks. People were very receptive to International Respect for Chickens Day. Thanks!" – Diana Schmidt

"Our student group Farm Animal Welfare Network expanded International Respect for Chickens Day by hosting an info table in the student union and at a campus festival, sponsoring two ads in student newspapers and getting articles in local newspapers about our group and about the plight of chickens on factory farms and in slaughterhouses." – Alyson Powers, FAWN, University of Iowa

"I was working in the University of Maryland archives on International Respect for Chickens Day, and two of the librarians were reading your Chickens brochures. They were absolutely horrified. They said they had no idea of the reality of the chicken industry and said they didn't think they were going to be eating chicken again." – A.R. Hogan, free-lance journalist

"My daughter and I are joining UPC. We saw the notice about International Respect for Chickens Day and would like some brochures to distribute. Thank you for helping our favorite animal." – Janet Baczuk and daughter Sorel Colina and hens Nellie, Emma, Henrietta, Katie, Henny Penny, Becky, Molly, Jenny, Lucie, Lola, Peziza and rooster, Rama.

"Had to share with you my Respect-for-Chickens-Day experience. I found pretty ceramic trinket boxes shaped like a hen sheltering her chicks beneath her wing. I packed them in a beribboned basket, along with UPC pamphlets, and made the rounds of my office. The reaction was more than I could have hoped. With one exception, everyone was delighted with their hen and actively interested in learning about how chickens are used for eggs and meat. We had an around-the-cooler discussion and the mother of a second-grader began to reevaluate the ethics and educational value of hatching eggs in the classroom. We talked about what might await the chicks when they were returned to the farm, and she was determined to find out more about what had seemed a benign class project. I received many heartfelt thank-yous." – Sally Ulrich

"Thank you for helping us commemorate International Respect for Chickens Day on May 4th by focusing on how chickens create strong social bonds and family units. From noon to 1pm our six-foot escaped battery hen mascot Henny was on display at a busy corner with a human-sized battery cage talking to people about chickens in Canada. Also, I did a 30min radio interview on a major station here in Vancouver about International Respect for Chickens Day. Very well received." – Bruce Passmore, Vancouver Humane Society

"Our school would like to thank you so much for sending us the posters and informative brochures to promote International Respect for Chickens Day on May 4th. I've enclosed a picture of our library display." – Betty Gonzalez, Miami Lakes Educational Center