Key Notes on Intensive Animal Agriculture

In factory farms, pigs, chickens, cows, and turkeys endure specific conditions before and during slaughter:

Pigs

Pigs are raised in large-scale systems, with significant confinement. Life often starts in farrowing crates for sows, which prevent turning and contribute to piglet mortality. Piglets undergo procedures like tail-docking, teeth-clipping, and ear-notching without pain relief. Sows are repeatedly artificially inseminated and kept in sow stalls or crowded pens. Most pigs are slaughtered at $5{-}6$ months. During slaughter, major abattoirs use high-concentration $\text{CO}_2$ chambers where pigs remain conscious as the gas burns airways before exsanguination. Mis-stuns with electric tongs or captive bolts can leave some pigs conscious during bleed-out or scalding.

Chickens (Egg-Laying Hens and Broiler Chickens)

Egg-laying hens: Male chicks are culled (macerated or gassed) on day one. Females are debeaked and live in battery cages, with space smaller than $A4$ paper, producing many eggs annually. They are typically gassed or slaughtered at $18$ months. "Free range" standards still involve male-chick culling and slaughter at the same age. Slaughter lines may miss the electric stun bath, leading to birds being conscious for throat cutting or scalding.

Broiler (Meat) Chickens: These birds are bred for rapid growth, reaching $3\,\text{kg}$ in $35$ days, leading to early-life mortality and gait defects. Sheds contain $40{-}60{,}000$ birds. Night-time depopulation, shackling, and electric baths are common, with similar stun failures as layer hens.

Cows (Dairy and Beef Cattle)

Dairy cows: Cows are re-impregnated yearly, and their calves are removed within hours. Male (bobby) calves ($\approx700{,}000$ annually) are typically slaughtered at $\le5$ days old, often after up to $30$ hours without feed. Female calves enter the dairy production cycle. Dairy cows live $4{-}8$ years (compared to a natural $\approx20$) before being slaughtered or dying as "downers" due to production strain.

Beef cattle: Painful procedures such as dehorning, castration, and branding are performed without anaesthetic. Many are fattened in feedlots and slaughtered at $18$ months. Captive-bolt misfires can result in consciousness during killing.

Turkeys

Turkeys are artificially inseminated as natural mating is difficult due to their size. They are crowded in sheds ($10{-}14{,}000$ birds), and rapid growth causes leg collapse and high mortality rates, particularly for males. Rough handling at slaughter can lead to beating and mis-stunning. Production often peaks around Christmas.