I don't know about chickens.... The chicken farm (broilers) that was visited in Food Inc was *horrifying*. I've never thought chickens were incredibly high up in the brain power area, so not having an enriching environment perhaps isn't so abusive (unlike pigs which are as smart as dogs...), but the factory farming of those chickens was disgusting - dark, dank, overcrowded, lots of sick, dead and dying chickens - many that could barely move. Put me waaaaaay off chicken. Then they go to processing factories which are a whole other horror in themselves.

I do think that the area that the farming is in may make a difference. The farm visited in Food Inc was in the south and producing for one of the huge conglomerates - Purdue maybe? I think chicken farms up here are better, but I still don't eat much chicken and spring for free range, organic when I do.....

A friend of ours who's a chef says he can tell the difference. He said they usually get Washington chickens, but occasionally they are not available and they are sent southern chickens. He says he can tell when he's breaking them down when they are southern ones - he says the joints are very tight and the legs don't move freely.......

As far as beef goes - the whole feed lot, slaughter house thing was just so incredibly nasty I won't buy anything but local, grass fed meat that was killed and butchered on the farm where it was raised. Needless to say I don't eat much beef....