As one of the UK’s most popular fast food chains, it sells almost 400 pieces of chicken every minute. But now conditions on the farms that supply KFC with 23million chickens a year can be shown for the first time. The images show tens of thousands of chickens kept together in huge sheds, alive for just 35 days before they are gassed. Scroll down for video . Life on the farm: Supplier Andrew in the shed filled with 34,00 chickens destined for the fast food chain KFC . The thousands of chickens live together in huge sheds for just 35 days before they are gassed . A documentary tonight shows the birds living amid their excrement in conditions activists say are ‘oppressive’ – but the farmer in charge claims it’s ‘a very good life’. Footage to be screened this evening on BBC1 focuses on one farm where about 34,000 chickens are penned into a shed with few windows. When they are large enough the chickens are gassed, chopped into nine pieces and sent to warehouses in large trays where they are then distributed to branches nationwide. The farmer in charge claimed the birds had 'a very good life' and showed how they were healthy . Farms supply KFC with around 23 million chickens each year and its chains sell almost 400 pieces of chicken every minute. At one farm around 34,000 chickens are penned into sheds with few windows . About 1,000 farms in the country supply KFC with 23million chickens a year. The programme focuses on a farmer called Andrew who says the chickens at his farm – left to do nothing but eat and drink until they reach the required weight – have a good life, saying he ‘wouldn’t mind being a chicken in here’. Scenes show the chickens as they walk around in their own excrement while a layer of sawdust has turned murky brown from mopping up waste. Asked if he thinks this is a problem, Andrew says: ‘No, no, no, that’s not a problem at all, because you see here, this is all sawdust, so the idea is to keep this as dry as possible.’ The supplier, who has 35 years’ experience, says: ‘As you can see, they’ve got beautifully clean feet and that is a good sign that these birds are healthy and they’ve been grown on good litter. You can see this is a good, healthy chicken. I can’t think there’s anything better than being sat in a chicken farm looking at chickens. You can see for yourself, they look absolutely fantastic.’ Asked whether he feels it is a shame their lives end so soon, he says: ‘No, they probably have a short life but they have a very good life.’ Yesterday animal rights campaigners claimed the lives of the KFC chickens were ‘oppressive’. Andrew Tyler, director of Animal Aid, said: ‘These birds have no meaningful life. They endure a wretched existence in giant windowless sheds stinking with ammonia. A very large number die from starvation or dehydration. About 900million of these birds are produced in country each year about 30million-plus die in the sheds. When the chickens are large enough they are gassed, chopped into nine pieces and sent to the warehouses in large trays . The trays of chicken are then distributed to KFC branches nationwide and sold to customers . This is the first time cameras have been allowed access to KFC. The fast food chain say animal welfare is 'essential' Fast food: One of KFC's branches. KFC say that all their suppliers meet or exceed UK and EU welfare requirements . ‘Millions of these birds, just like the ones KFC is commissioning to be produced die in sheds wretchedly and painfully every year. ‘These birds are deprived of everything that makes life worth living. The next step after this is to be grabbed by their frail legs, and shoved in crates and taken off to slaughter. A great number suffer broken bones during this process.’ A BBC spokesman said the documentary offers ‘an impartial look at KFC, one of the UK’s most recognisable businesses’. It is the first time cameras have been allowed access to KFC. A KFC spokesman said: ‘Animal welfare is essential for high quality food and is important to our customers, and all of KFC’s suppliers meet or exceed UK and EU welfare requirements. KFC was the first quick-service restaurant to gain Red Tractor certification and we have in place our own robust standard, which is independently audited by third parties.’ Episode one of The Billion Dollar Chicken Shop airs on BBC1 at 9pm.
1,000 farms supply fast food chain KFC with 23 million chickens a year . Birds live in huge sheds for just 35 days before they are gassed to death . Documentary filmed around 34,000 chickens in a shed with few windows . Activists say the conditions the chickens are kept in are 'oppressive'
One farmer claims the birds have a short but 'very good life'
KFC said all their suppliers meet or exceed UK and EU welfare requirements .