[1][4] The company also began contracting with local farmers to raise its birds and supplying chickens for processing as well as opening a second hatchery in North Carolina during this period.

[4] This move had two effects: it gave Perdue Farms full vertical integration and quality control over every step from egg and feed to market,[4] as well as increasing profits which were being squeezed by processors.

[8] In 2007, Perdue removed all human antibiotics from its feed and launched the Harvestland brand, under which it sold products that met the requirements for an "antibiotic-free" label.

[12][13][14] The guidelines that Perdue follows, created by the National Chicken Council, have drawn criticism for allowing birds to be deprived of light, food, and water for long periods, and also for permitting animals to be hung upside-down by their ankles before slaughter.

[17] In response, Perdue issued a statement claiming that its practice "exceeds the National Chicken Council guidelines in several areas, including monitoring air quality in the poultry house, video monitoring of live-bird handling areas at the processing plant and USDA audits of producer farms and...hatcheries.

[19] In 2010, the Assateague Coastal Trust sued Perdue for violating the Clean Water Act by allegedly allowing excessive chicken manure to run into the bay.

[19] The suit was later won by Perdue in October 2012, after the environmental group failed to establish that the waste runoff was from chicken houses.