IS A CHICKEN'S LIFE IN SUFFERING BETTER THAN NO CHICKEN'S LIFE AT ALL?

I watched a chicken die.

It limped with age,
though had lived a good life.
But still,
it squawked in pain.
And as it cried I thought,
“should I let my dog see this?”

The dog and the chicken were friends,
as friendly as a dog and chicken could be.
The dog would chase the chicken,
But the chicken seemed not to care.

Now the chicken was old,
and dying in the heat.
My dog sat there,
staring,
waiting for something to happen,
as did I.
But nothing did.
And so we sat there,
doing nothing,
watching the chicken die.