Source: ABC Rural

Story by: Laura Poole

The RSPCA has approved chicken meat production on Australia's east coast for the first time.

Sheds near Bendigo, in central Victoria, have met the animal welfare group's accreditation criteria.

Hazeldene's is now providing chicken, marketed as RSPCA-accredited, at Coles supermarkets.

Farming manager Carl Lawson says the differences between an RSPCA accredited chicken shed, and other sheds they use to produce chicken, include the density of birds, lighting and perching options.

Mr Lawson says the bird density in an RSPCA shed is 15 birds per square metre, while in other sheds it's 21.5 birds per square metre.

"What we've noticed with the lighter density in the sheds is the chickens are a lot more active and running around."

To read the full story, follow this link: www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2011/s3211712.htm