People use the word feedlot interchangeably to describe anything from an indoor shed where animals are so crammed in they're nearly immobilised, to an outdoor a

People use the word feedlot interchangeably to describe anything from an indoor shed where animals are so crammed in they're nearly immobilised, to an outdoor area with some shadecloth and troughs but no grass, to animals kept in exactly the same paddocks they're usually in but fed supplemental feed during a drought[1]. Yes, the weird American torture sheds are bad, but an outdoor feedlot with shade and space is really not that bad for the animals. It's a complicated tradeoff between different factors: cattle are much more protected from predators (dogs, usually) and random stressors, they have ample food and water at all times, they're better able to be monitored for disease and injury; however, they've got less space, it can be hot and dusty, and there's more random stuff going on around them[0]. People have this idea in their heads that a feedlot looks like a sow stall or a chicken cage when in actual fact it's a crowded paddock with all the grass trampled[1]. Not exactly nice, but not some insane torture device either. [0] https://www.publish.csiro.au/an/Fulltext/AN19621 https://www.publish.csiro.au/an/Fulltext/AN19621 [1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-03-15/feedlot-definition-causes-problems-for-drought-affected-farmers/10899488 https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-03-15/feedlot-definit...