[media-credit name=’KEEGAN KYLE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals bared all Wednesday afternoon outside a local Kentucky Fried Chicken to raise awareness about the restaurant chain’s factory-farming abuses. Wearing only a sign reading, "The Naked Truth: KFC Tortures Chickens," and "Turn Your Back on KFC Cruelty," PETA worker Lindsey Rajt and campaign coordinator Ashley Byrne paraded past rush-hour traffic on East Washington Avenue and joined other protestors in urging passersby to boycott KFC. "We are letting people know that if they are eating at KFC, they are supporting a company that refuses to follow the advice of their own animal welfare advisors and eliminate the worst abuses of their chickens," Byrne said. Protesters handed out pamphlets and DVDs to customers pulling into KFC’s drive-through detailing how chickens in KFC factory farms are scalded alive, their throats are slit, and their wings and legs are broken. Byrne described the cruel conditions in one KFC slaughterhouse that was named a "Supplier of the Year," where workers were documented tearing the heads off chickens, slamming their bodies against walls, spray-painting their faces, and spitting tobacco in their eyes. "If this is the best KFC has to offer, it’s hard to imagine what the worst must look like," Byrne said. Byrne and the other PETA protesters are currently on a two-week tour of the Midwest, performing similar demonstrations in 18 cities. According to Byrne, there have been more than 12,000 protests worldwide since the PETA campaign started five years ago. With road construction blocking the PETA demonstrators from directly accessing East Washington Avenue, the protest didn’t inconvenience too many people, though there was a brief scuffle with a small group of anti-protesters defending KFC. Madison resident Jim Grot, a self-professed KFC devotee, came bearing a KFC bucket in hand to protest the protesters. "Not eating meat is a choice, and I’m having my choice of eating meat," Grot said. "I’m eating their chicken. I love their chicken, extra crispy," he added, crunching down on a chicken wing to demonstrate his point. Grot evidently had no qualms about the images of beheaded and blood-spattered chickens displayed by protesters, countering their chants of "There’s no excuse for animal abuse; Boycott KFC!" with "I love my murder!" "They make it look like the world is ‘Disney-fied,’ where all the animals talk to one another and are friendly, and the predators eat vegetables," Grot said through a mouthful of fried chicken. "It’s not a ‘Disney-fied’ world." Bill Madden, who held a sign reading, "Do you love chicken? Then honk!" said he didn’t think the PETA protest was very effective, as he hadn’t noticed any potential customers change their mind about buying KFC. However, the dining room in the restaurant was deserted save for a group of managers, who declined to comment. According to KFC’s Animal Welfare Program policy on its website, the company is "monitoring our suppliers on an ongoing basis to determine whether our suppliers are using humane procedures for caring for and handling animals they supply to us." Despite Madden’s observations, Byrne reported the protest was a success. She said many of the customers pulling into the drive-thru turned back after viewing the posters and leaflets protesters were handing out. "People are very compassionate, and generally at our protests when they see these images and hear the stories of how chickens are brutally tortured, they decide to bring their business someplace else," Byrne said. "We are hoping people choose to boycott KFC until they choose to start taking animal welfare seriously."