They go first into a unit that uses a mild electric shock to make them unconscious, and then they are brought to the “kill machine,” where a blade cuts their throat and they bleed to death.
We cannot know for sure if chickens are aware they are going to be slaughtered, but we can be certain that they experience fear and pain as they are shackled upside down and surrounded by the smell of death.
Chickens possess a highly developed nervous system and experience pain when injured and killed. Chickens also have complex cognitive and emotional capacities, which result in emotional distress and suffering during slaughter.
Slaughtering poultry
Birds remain in their transport crates and are placed into a gas system, where they're exposed to mixtures of air and gas, until dead. This method avoids the need to handle and 'shackle' live birds, so has some welfare advantages.
According to the law, animals should be stunned into unconsciousness prior to their slaughter to ensure a death with less suffering than in killing methods used earlier. The most common methods are electrocution and CO2 stunning for swine and captive bolt stunning for cattle, sheep, and goats.
In slaughterhouses, animals also experience fear and pain before they die. Some of the torments they undergo are described below, starting with aquatic animals, who make up the majority of farmed animals.
General anesthesia renders the patient unconscious. In other words, the animal is asleep and unaware of anything being done to him. Anesthesia does not prevent pain, so once the dog or cat awakens, she can and will feel pain unless analgesics are also administered (more on these later).
Processing/slaughter
Chickens are stunned (rendered unconscious) before slaughter. In Australia, stunning occurs either by electrical waterbath stunning or controlled atmosphere (gas) stunning). Chickens have to be removed from their crates and be consciously shackled for the electrical stunning process.
Electrical water bath stunning is the most commonly used method for poultry stunning prior to slaughter, but has been questioned on animal welfare and product quality grounds.
Tilt the bird's head well back, so it points towards the tail of the bird (this position aligns the joints so that it is much easier to dislocate the head from the neck). Firmly push the head away from your body until you feel the head separate (you will definitely feel the joint let go).
Cow cries before slaughter. They sense their final destiny. Don't be a reason behind their suffering.
They were stressed, petrified and piled up on top of each other. While waiting to be killed, the animals screamed in agony as they wounded themselves on the metal gratings. When animals are slaughtered, they are not completely stunned and are still aware of what is happening.
While mammals and birds possess the prerequisite neural architecture for phenomenal consciousness, it is concluded that fish lack these essential characteristics and hence do not feel pain.
Don't feed poultry 6 to 8 hours before slaughter but allow access to water. Fasting reduces the feed content in the digestive tract. This helps prevent contamination during processing.
A grieving hen avoids interacting with the flock and sits in a corner with puffed-up feathers like a chicken that feels ill. Some mourn only temporarily, but others never seem to recover from the loss of a flockmate.
Never exceed safe shelf lives: Ice Pack Chicken: 7 days from slaughter, under optimum conditions. CVP (gas flush): 21 days from slaughter, under optimum conditions. IQF & Other Frozen: 12 months from slaughter, under optimum conditions.
Minimally painful and complete bleeding is required during halal slaughter, which is difficult to perform in large animals [69].
After feathers are removed, the birds are sent to an “eviscerating” line which removes internal organs and feet, also known as “paws.” Every single part of the bird is used —for example, chicken feet are considered a delicacy in Asian countries, and feathers are rendered and used as protein in some animal feed.
– Slaughtering must be done by a sane adult Muslim. Animals slaughtered by a Non Muslim will not be halal. – The name of Allah must be invoked (mentioned) at the time of slaughtering by saying: “Bismillah Allahu Akbar”. (In the Name of Allah; Allah is the Greatest.)
Animals are legally required to be stunned before they are slaughtered in Australia. The purpose of stunning is to make sure animals are unconscious to minimise the risk of them experiencing any pain, suffering or distress during bleed out and prior to death.
Technically, per slaughterhouse guidelines, large animals like cows, pigs, and sheep are supposed to be killed slowly by loss of blood, or exsanguination. Because the cruelty of this is self-evident, regulations also require animals be "stunned" before having their throats slit.
12. At the slaughterhouse, chickens are not stunned, but shackled and dragged upside down, fully conscious, through electrified water that paralyzes their muscles so that their feathers will come off more easily after they are dead.
As the solution is injected, the animal loses consciousness and within minutes the heart and lungs stop functioning. Since the pet is not conscious, they do not feel anything. Most times, the animal passes away so smoothly, that it is difficult to tell until the veterinarian listens for absence of a heartbeat.
General anaesthesia is induced through an injection of drugs through the intravenous catheter into your pet's vein. Your pet will have the sensation of falling asleep and will not be aware of anything that happens until they wake up from the anaesthetic.
Without sedation, pet euthanasia can be a very abrupt and confronting process. The final injection is fast acting. With sedation the transition from a conscious pet to passing is a gradual one. Using sedation means the process of saying good bye is much smoother, and peaceful.