Animal Abuse- but the Sanctioned Kind

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/opinion/kristof-is-an-egg-for-breakfast-worth-this.html?ref=nicholasdkristof
     The article I just read was called Is an egg for Breakfast Worth This? and it was by Nikolas Kristof. It focused on the egg company Kreider Farms, and listed the incredibly inhumane conditions in the barns, including salmonella being found in three barns, extreme overcrowding in the cages, and feeding conditions that often led to chickens being caught and killed in the machinery. I believe that this is an extreme example of animal cruelty, and not only agree that minimum standards should be raised in the case of animal mass production, but that companies like this should undergo legal action for animal cruelty.
     I think the main idea of the article is that even though chickens aren't particularly relatable animals, the conditions are still extreme and should be raised. He voices his opinions on chickens directly in the article- "Like many readers, I don’t particularly empathize with chickens. It’s their misfortune that they lack big eyes." However, he talked about the distaste he held for the system because, as he said, "Still, I flinch at a system in which hens are reduced to widgets." He was talking about the fact that, in an egg industry, the chickens are viewed as disposable, something that is needed but that there are plenty of. I agree with his view because it's my opinion that if something is living and can feel pain, then anyone taking care of it has a responsibility to make sure that the least possible pain is suffered.
     Animal abuse is something that I have always been passionate about. Almost always, those who have been found to have been abusing animals are sent to jail, fined, or punished in some way. Well, that's exactly what this is. As was quoted in the article, "In some cases, 11 hens were jammed into a cage about 2 feet by 2 feet." This is typical overcrowding, and if it was puppies in a puppy mill, those responsible would be sent to prison- so why not here? Also, it says "An automatic feeding cart that runs between the cages sometimes decapitates hens as they’re eating," which is basically reckless endangerment, killing of animals- it's a pretty extreme example of animal cruelty, anyway you cut it. In my opinion, the people responsible for the treatment of these animals should be prosecuted, because the fact that they're part of mass production doesn't change a thing. An animal in extreme discomfort for all of it's life wouldn't care that they were only one chicken out of millions, and neither should legal companies.