Use by date

Our chickens are designed with a use by date.
Best by thirty five days,
Under best conditions.
Heated shed.
Our chickens have a shed,
Only heated when they were little chicks.
We make them go outside.
We put out their water and feed.
To make them move,
Their feed is at multiple stations.
Otherwise they would sit and gorge themselves.
They lumber like obese geriatrics.
They sit after a few see sawing steps.
Chicken bellies are raw and pink from the ground.
They arrived twenty five golden fluff balls,
Beaks already pecking.
Voracious.
Growing twice the rate of our home incubated Sussex.
Now past their 'Best by',
We hope they survive till chopping day.
It rained
Two enormous cleavaged breasts heaving for air,
Succumbed to pneumonia,
Slowly turning blue.
I read once that chickens are shedded for their own protection.
Predators.
Rubbish!
Our nurtured, free range, meat chickens are not chickens.
Protein on failing legs,
Where living is a necessary inconvenience.
We shall not venture down this precarious, commercial path again.