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Do you think they are having fun now? They are bred to be eaten, if we don't need them we'll stop breeding them.

by lttlrck 13y ago

Ives 13y ago
A lot of them are bread for milk too... (Whether they're having fun is another question, the ones that are allowed to graze outside probably are, the ones that never see the light of day probably aren't).
corresation 13y ago
Do you think they are having fun now? That's a very existential question that doesn't have an easy answer. Is a somewhat brief existence worse than no existence at all? If we eradicate fruit flies (or the many species that live short, brutish existences), have we done them a favor? I am a huge fan of the Omnivore's Dilemma and recommend it wholeheartedly because while Pollan faces these serious questions, he doesn't simply resort to the easy answer.
- NSMeta 13y ago
  > Is a somewhat brief existence worse than no existence at all? This would apply to local farms perhaps, but from what I read industrial livestock production is causing suffering to many animals to lower the costs. Disclaimer: I am not a vegan.
jeltz 13y ago
Why wouldn't they have fun? They get a comfortable life up until the horrible end. Most cattle is not kept inside huge industrial buildings like chickens or pigs.
- Someone 13y ago
  Comfortable life: if it weren't made illegal, cows bred for meat would be locked in cages where they can barely move. After all, all energy spent on movement can't be spent on gaining weight. Also, cows bred for their meet are slaughtered at 7-8 months of age. If cared for, a cow could live for 20 years, but economics prevail. Cows held for their milk have it a bit better, as they get to live for 5-6 years. Also, things have improved. For example, the milking robot not only improved yield, but also allowed each cow to select the time it wanted to be milked, and does not require farmers to chase their cows towards their milking place two or three times a day. Not kept in buildings: That depends on the level of industrialization of the farms and on the quality of your grassland. For example, in the Netherlands, mowing grass mechanically and feeding it to your cattle which is kept inside year round is the way to go, if you look at this purely economically (cows destroy too much grass by trampling it and by dropping cow peas on it) Consequently, there is now talk of paying farmers to let their cows go out on the meadows. Not in huge buildings? Go to https://www.google.nl/search?q=cow+stable+design https://www.google.nl/search?q=cow+stable+design and click on 'Images'. Fewer cows per stable than we do with pigs or chicken, but not small stables, either.

Do you think they are having fun now? They are bred to be eaten, if we don't need them we'll stop breeding them.

by lttlrck 13y ago

Do you think they are having fun now? They are bred to be eaten, if we don't need them we'll stop breeding them.

Ives 13y ago

A lot of them are bread for milk too... (Whether they're having fun is another question, the ones that are allowed to graze outside probably are, the ones that never see the light of day probably aren't).

corresation 13y ago

Do you think they are having fun now? That's a very existential question that doesn't have an easy answer. Is a somewhat brief existence worse than no existence at all? If we eradicate fruit flies (or the many species that live short, brutish existences), have we done them a favor? I am a huge fan of the Omnivore's Dilemma and recommend it wholeheartedly because while Pollan faces these serious questions, he doesn't simply resort to the easy answer.

NSMeta 13y ago
> Is a somewhat brief existence worse than no existence at all? This would apply to local farms perhaps, but from what I read industrial livestock production is causing suffering to many animals to lower the costs. Disclaimer: I am not a vegan.

jeltz 13y ago

Why wouldn't they have fun? They get a comfortable life up until the horrible end. Most cattle is not kept inside huge industrial buildings like chickens or pigs.

Someone 13y ago
Comfortable life: if it weren't made illegal, cows bred for meat would be locked in cages where they can barely move. After all, all energy spent on movement can't be spent on gaining weight. Also, cows bred for their meet are slaughtered at 7-8 months of age. If cared for, a cow could live for 20 years, but economics prevail. Cows held for their milk have it a bit better, as they get to live for 5-6 years. Also, things have improved. For example, the milking robot not only improved yield, but also allowed each cow to select the time it wanted to be milked, and does not require farmers to chase their cows towards their milking place two or three times a day. Not kept in buildings: That depends on the level of industrialization of the farms and on the quality of your grassland. For example, in the Netherlands, mowing grass mechanically and feeding it to your cattle which is kept inside year round is the way to go, if you look at this purely economically (cows destroy too much grass by trampling it and by dropping cow peas on it) Consequently, there is now talk of paying farmers to let their cows go out on the meadows. Not in huge buildings? Go to https://www.google.nl/search?q=cow+stable+design https://www.google.nl/search?q=cow+stable+design and click on 'Images'. Fewer cows per stable than we do with pigs or chicken, but not small stables, either.