I Love Lucy: One Chicken’s Story of Rescue

September 9, 2005

By Michael Greger, M.D.

In addition to the human toll exacted by Hurricane Katrina, millions of animals have died. As The Humane Society of the United States labors to save as many pets and other animals as possible, it is already too late for countless farm animals. Katrina’s swath of destruction through one of our nation’s top chicken-raising areas left millions of birds to drown or starve. One company alone, Sanderson Farms, estimates it lost 3 million animals.

The mechanization of today’s factory farms means that a single power failure can lead to the prolonged suffering of thousands. Without power, for example, temperatures can rise to unbearable—even deadly—levels. Though many cattle remain desperately stranded, at least they may have a chance to escape from the flooded areas. Most pigs and chickens, however, are confined in massive sheds or locked in cages and can only stand helpless and terrified as the flood waters rise.

"Lucy is My Life"

We do know of at least one hen who rests safely. Her guardian was evidently bused to the Houston Astrodome evacuee shelter holding the animal under his arm. The beleaguered shelter staff may have thought it strange that a man walked in with a chicken. But if they did, we have no report that they gave him any trouble. To their credit, the shelter staff simply took the chicken to be processed along with the other animals.

A staff member later approached the man, asking, "Are you the owner of the chicken?" He replied indignantly, "That's not a chicken. That's my Lucy! Lucy is my life." He had been with her all her life, "from a peep," he said.

Lucy, meanwhile, heard her guardian’s voice from way in the back and started clucking happily as they were reunited, the two finding solace in a welter of broken families.

The Fate of Other Chickens Like Lucy

Just like dogs, cats, and humans, chickens are individuals, each with a distinct personality. The "bird brain" cliché notwithstanding, scientists now recognize that chickens are as intelligent as mammals like cats and dogs and even primates. When in natural surroundings, as opposed to factory farms, they form friendships, love their young, dust-bathe, collect bedding for their nests, and recognize one another—and their human friends.

Thousands of chickens died when Hurricane Katrina hit a factory farm in Carroll County, Georgia.

According to the latest agricultural census, Louisiana and Mississippi together slaughter almost a billion chickens, both those raised for meat and egg-laying hens, every year. On any one day there are almost 200 million birds locked indoors in these two states, in addition to hundreds of thousands of pigs, all potentially vulnerable to natural disasters. The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) describes what happened to some of these animals:

"At one farm that had only made last-minute arrangements, one truck arrived to move the animals. However, the trucker quickly realized that evacuation was not going to be easy. The farm had many more animals than could be loaded and evacuated, there were too few people to help load animals, the animals did not have health certificates, and there was no designated place to take the pigs. Unwilling to carry the liability for animals loaded in his truck, the trucker left in frustration and without having loaded any animals.

Things got worse on this farm. As the floodwaters arrived, the farmer attempted to move the pigs to higher ground. However, to do this he had to move the pigs through flowing water. The pigs resisted and refused to be moved. As the floodwaters rose, many of the pigs drowned."

According to Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, "Animals confined on factory farms are particularly vulnerable to disasters. For example, on most egg farms, where chickens are confined in cages so small they can't even spread their wings, if the power goes out or the water is no longer available, literally hundreds of thousands of animals can die within days. Factory-farmed animals are typically in a state of suffering because of their poor living conditions, and an event like this only makes the situation worse."

Michael Greger, M.D. is The HSUS's Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture.

See the Video

Hurricane Katrina Dog Rescue 9-7-05

Hurricane Katrina Disaster PSA featuring Comedian Bill Maher

Related Links

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Mississippi Disaster Teams Rescue Pets, Captive Wildlife, and Farm Animals

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Stranded, Starving, and Suffering: Farm Animals in the Wake of Katrina