Wall Street Journal
April 9, 2002

Chicks With Brains

This letter was printed in response to a WSJ article about how upscale people are buying chickens from mail order hatcheries, building fancy coops, and frequently abandoning the birds after the fad wears off, the way people bought and trashed pot-bellied pigs a few years ago.

Regarding "The Chicken Coup," by Pooja Bhatia, Weekend Journal, March 26: Contrary to an opinion quoted in this article, chickens have considerable brains, but people for whom animals are mere gadgets and toys aren't interested in the cognitive complexity of their trendy pets. No wonder we have a pet overpopulation problem in this country. It isn't only dogs and cats who are bought like toys, then discarded when the amusement wears off. The message of this article is that it's cool to be morally casual and irresponsible towards creatures whose dilemma we create.

Karen Davis, President
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
Machipongo, Va.