Your argument here seems to be something like: "Adult humans are sometimes not self-aware, but we still care about them, even during those times. Is self-awareness therefore irrelevant??" No, of course it's not. It's a complex issue. But a chicken is never self-aware, so the point is moot.

Um, "Why don't we stop caring about people who temporarily lose this supposed be-all and end-all of moral value" seems like a valid question, albeit one you hopefully are introspective enough to have an answer for.