4 ms·

I've seen those video clips: It's a horrifying glimpse at the consequences of our desire for low-cost meat products, and one of the (many) contributing reasons

I've seen those video clips: It's a horrifying glimpse at the consequences of our desire for low-cost meat products, and one of the (many) contributing reasons that I'm almost entirely vegetarian these days. But I've also thought about that grinder a lot: I'm not sure there's a lot of suffering involved -- that grinder thing is moving fast, and those chicks go from "la la I'm a baby chicken" to a red mist in, I'd guess, less than half a second. I reflexively object to the practice, but I honestly can't come up with another way of getting that done if it's necessary to do. Anyway, if I had the choice of being ground up nearly instantaneously or to have the front half of my skull removed with a hatchet, I'd have to pick the grinder.

corin_ 11y ago
I'm know nothing about the subject, and maybe the current way is perfect in its speed, but "I honestly can't come up with another way of getting that done if it's necessary to do" - using drugs to knock them out before killing them is surely an obvious idea, even if it might not (I've no idea) be practical for other reasons
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  The grinder is more cost effective, and is endorsed as humane.
- PretzelPirate 11y ago
  I would just say that it isn't necessary to do. That makes the problem much simpler.
rtkwe 11y ago
Yeah, as bad as that image is it's pretty much the best ways to get it done. The only better way I could think of, other than somehow stopping male eggs from being viable somehow, would be to use nitrogen suffocation. Most animals and humans don't register a lack of oxygen but an excess of CO2 and actually get a bit euphoric (at least humans do and pigs that were tested would willingly go back into the environment for apples). That would have it's own issues with it being a more batch-y process than the grinder, and how to you keep them from just waiting in packed conditions before being euthanized. There's a BBC documentary on capital punishment and alternatives that explores this iirc.

corin_ 11y ago

I'm know nothing about the subject, and maybe the current way is perfect in its speed, but "I honestly can't come up with another way of getting that done if it's necessary to do" - using drugs to knock them out before killing them is surely an obvious idea, even if it might not (I've no idea) be practical for other reasons

toomuchtodo 11y ago
The grinder is more cost effective, and is endorsed as humane.
PretzelPirate 11y ago
I would just say that it isn't necessary to do. That makes the problem much simpler.

rtkwe 11y ago

Yeah, as bad as that image is it's pretty much the best ways to get it done. The only better way I could think of, other than somehow stopping male eggs from being viable somehow, would be to use nitrogen suffocation. Most animals and humans don't register a lack of oxygen but an excess of CO2 and actually get a bit euphoric (at least humans do and pigs that were tested would willingly go back into the environment for apples). That would have it's own issues with it being a more batch-y process than the grinder, and how to you keep them from just waiting in packed conditions before being euthanized. There's a BBC documentary on capital punishment and alternatives that explores this iirc.