#I know of one chicken and compost farmer in Vermont that uses a “free to leave” system with his birds

[garaksapprentice]

Yep. Humans Do A Breeding Program at domestic animals to get the characteristics they want - finer fleece, bigger cocoons, quieter temperaments, etc - and when they are raised humanely, the tradeoff for the animals is that they 1) have a better life than their wild counterparts by almost all measures; 2) spread their species much further than they would have by themselves; 3) have one bad day.

There's a very good argument out there that humans didn't domesticate corn - corn domesticated humans. I think that argument can be easily extended to most of our domesticated livestock, especially when you consider that factory farming is less than a hundred years old.

I think it's a common misconception that domesticating animals is somewhat like enslaving them. It really is more of a symbiotic relationship. No wild animal would have willingly put up with early humans if they didn't get something out of it. Wolves wouldn't have stayed with us and become dogs if they weren't getting food and safety out of it. Many large herbivores that are now domesticated could and would have easily trampled their early human captors or broken their enclosures open if they didn't have a reason to stay. Sometimes individual animals still do if we don't give them what they need.

The animals that have stayed with us for thousands of years have evolved to cooperate with us better. Dogs have additional facial muscles around their eyes that wolves lack in order to mimic human facial expressions. Sheep grow their wool perpetually while their wild counterparts don't because a bigger fleece means they're more likely to be allowed to breed and be kept around. Domestic dairy cows produce much more milk than wild bovine species and domestic hens lay more eggs. Do you know how energy costly producing eggs or milk is for an animal? It's pretty intense! They wouldn't be able to do that if we hadn't given them the food and safety from predators and the elements to.

And we really need to show these animals respect and gratitude for what they give us by taking excellent care of them. They gave up a lot to be with us, often including the means to take care of themselves in the wild. That's a huge reason why I'm not against using animal products, but I hate factory farming. They are still living, breathing creatures with needs and feelings. They deserve a comfortable life and, when the time comes, a humane death.