Is poultry included in state-level animal protection?

• A. Never included
• B. Always included without exemptions
• C. Usually included, with exemptions for customary animal husbandry practices
• D. Only for pets

Answer: (C)

State-level animal protection laws typically cover poultry as animals protected from cruelty, recognizing their welfare needs just like other non-pet livestock. At the same time, these laws usually include exemptions for customary animal husbandry practices—routine farming methods that are widely accepted as part of raising poultry. This means normal activities such as housing, feeding, handling, and standard welfare-based procedures can be permissible when they align with accepted farming standards. The goal is to protect animals from cruelty while not criminalizing standard, traditional farming practices. So poultry are generally included, with carve-outs for customary husbandry practices.