Here is where I am confused

"The short lives of turkeys, pumped with growth hormones unti they actually cannot stand, or breed normally are grotesque" page 70 Jane Goodall, Harvest for Hope.

"Routinely pumping growth hormones into farm animals is also linked to the buildup of estrogen in humans." (She is talking about Cows here) page 86 Jane Goodall, Harvest for Hope.

"FOOD ADDITIVES AROUSE DISPUTE; Scientists Are Divided Over Chicken-Growth Hormones Linked to Animal Cancer.
A chemical used to fatten beef cattle and poultry continues under suspicion as a cause of cancer. It is known to excite tumors in some laboratory animals. No evidence has been adduced that it does so in man. " From the NYT

So in doing more research, based on the comments to my blog posting about my essay (see below), I am more confused than ever. Maybe it is legal to give turkeys/cows/pigs growth hormones, but not chickens? And I did find the undercover video of beak trimming, but that was for the egg layers not the broilers.

Hmmm. More research.

Egg-laying Hens

* Egg-laying hens are among the most abused of all farm animals.
* On factory farms, four or more hens are forced to live inside tiny wire enclosures called battery cages. In these confines, the hens are unable to stretch their wings or legs, fulfill social needs or engage in natural behaviors.
* Constantly rubbing against the wire of battery cages, hens suffer severe feather loss and their bodies become covered with bruises and abrasions.
* To prevent injuries caused by excessive pecking, a result of unnatural, overcrowded conditions, chickens' beaks are seared off with a hot blade.
* In order to shock their bodies into another egg-laying cycle when production declines, the hens are denied food, water and light for up to two weeks. This cruel process is known as forced molting.
* Laying hens are considered "spent" after only one year. No longer useful for egg production, these exhausted animals are commonly slaughtered for soups, potpies, pet food, and other low-grade chicken products.

Broiler Chickens

* Modern "meat chickens," commonly known as "broilers," are raised and slaughtered by the millions each year.
* Reared in crowded warehouses with thousands of other birds, each chicken only has about one half of a square foot of floor space on which to exist.
* Selectively bred to grow two times faster and larger than their ancestors, these "monster" chickens suffer from heart failure, crippling leg disorders, as well as several life-threatening complications associated with confinement and unsanitary living conditions.
* With bodies taxed beyond belief, chickens who survive their time in production are typically slaughtered at just 6 weeks of age.
* At poultry slaughterhouses, fully conscious chickens are usually hung by their feet from metal shackles. Attached to moving rails, the birds are sent to electrified water tanks for stunning, or go directly to the kill floor.
From A Farm Sanctuary

This below would imply that farm animals are given antibiotics and hormones.
"Unveiled in May 2003 and now being used by 25 companies, the Certified Humane label assures consumers that a meat, poultry, egg or dairy product has been produced according to HFAC’s precise standards for humane farm animal treatment. Animals must receive a nutritious diet free of antibiotics or hormones and must be raised with shelter, resting areas and space that are sufficient tosupport natural behavior."
From TrueFoodNow