Costco Getting Major Grief on Cooped-up Hens from Brad Pitt and Bill Maher

Celebrities Bill Maher and Brad Pitt Take Aim at Costco

According to an article about Costco by Benjamin Snyder at Fortune.com, both Brad Pitt and Bill Maher have recently called out Costco regarding the way their famous chickens are raised.

Sandy Cohen, AP Entertainment Writer also wrote about Costco getting grief at USNews.com.

The first referenced article mentioned at the end this highly doubtful tidbit:  "Interestingly, Costco reportedly loses $40 million
per year thanks to keeping its rotisserie chicken prices low."

Regardless of their P/L on Costco's rotisserie chickens, the complaints levied by Pitt and Maher were the way Costco's egg laying hens were treated.  It is not apparent whether they also have the same animal cruelty complaint against the way the chickens bound for the rotisserie are raised.

Apparently Brad Pitt has recently sent a letter to Costco CEO Craig Jelinek to stop selling eggs produced by caged hens.  Of course free range hens would be preferable.  They would be healthier and produce healthier, tastier eggs.  A big question to answer would be how much more expensive it would be to raise them this way on a large scale?  How much would to cost to consumers go up?

The price of eggs has already been escalating to unbelievable prices over the last couple of years.  It's been widely reported that there is a huge egg shortage, apparently due to a bird flu virus that has killed thousands of chickens at commercial chicken farms across the country.