

That doesn’t add up at all because cattle ranches are notoriously known for pretty low quality of life environments if they arent pasture raised or free range
Then again that basically goes for all farm animals that aren’t considered free range, but it’s a lot easier to have free range chickens than it is to have cows doing the same.
Yea in fairness to (genuinely) free range, it’s probably best if chickens are raised in just not cages but still within an area a farmer can manage. I was thinking of free range as moreso outdoors, with a minimum area per livestock.
For meat chickens, yes they probably have the lowest quality of life. The ones that aren’t stuffed in cages are usually not meat chickens though, but a different breed. I’d say they have a decent life because they’re not being stuffed full of steroids and are given space to roam.
I’m not sure on bird flu. From what I’ve read, the conditions of meat chickens living in cages is the reason why bird flu spread so much. The chickens are so cramped, and so unsanitary that they essentially need to be pumped with antibiotics, which caused bird flu to develop a resistant strain. If companies weren’t so hellbent at maximizing value, providing just an increase in living space would have hindered the spread of bird flu.
My perspective is that it’s more ethical to be able to provide a good quality of life for the animals you raise. One cow with a low quality of life imo is less ethical than a bunch of chickens with a decent quality of life, even if we consider numbers. If you can provide that to a cow, then yea it’s probably more ethical than a bunch of chickens. It’s just a lot easier to have a chicken live a good life than it is for a cow.
This is all my perspective though