Read Carlyle's Story ^{(In Memoriam)}

Carlyle was one of twenty chicks rescued from a poultry farm and brought to The Gentle Barn Tennessee to live a better life and spread awareness of the suffering poultry chicks go through. Broiler chicks are genetically engineered to get very big, very fast, so they are full grown at 7 weeks old and sent to slaughter while their eyes are still blue and they’re still peep peeping for their moms. They are raised in the dark, on their own feces, and by the time they are only a few weeks old, they can’t see, breathe, or walk. Thankfully we were able to save Carlyle and his siblings before irreversible damage was done. Because of their abnormally enormous size, Carlyle didn't have a long life, but he lived much longer than we anticipated. Most broiler chicks are lucky if they live 6 months, and Carlyle lived till a year and a half. He may not have had long with us, but he lived life to the fullest. He got to feel sunshine on his face and grass under his feet. He had a birthday party where we sung to him and fed him cake. He cuddled thousands of guests from around the world. And he opened all our hearts to the intelligence, affection, and personalities of chickens. We will miss our sweet boy dearly, but we are so grateful for everyday we had with him!