[Hansam]

I guess I'm not of the same make as you guys. I've been to slaughter houses and I've seen how its done. I know a few people who worked at them and two guys who are foremen (sorta) at the ones they work at. Frankly I can say I'm not ashamed of eating beef, pork, chicken or other meats from the grocery store.

There's stories of people who "roll" lame cows across "the line" but the three slaughter houses I've visited have done no such thing. Every animal that arrived there alive walked out of the trailer on their own 4 feet. They were all herded into the area to be slaughtered and each walked in their on their own 4 feet. I'd have to say that from my personal experience (which is just spending a day in one and a couple of days - not in a row - in the other two) and watching what was done out of sheer curiosity. I hadn't witnessed any such actions as what was mentioned.

I've also seen the actual kill - which is quite humane. The most widely used method (or so I was told) was the method I saw in all three slaughter houses - a steel piston is put to the forehead of the cow and it shoots out to strike the head meaning instant unconsciousness and death from trauma to the brain. The cattle feel no pain.

The only thing really that made me sickish was the constant stench of manure, raw guts and blood collecting in their garbage/sewage trenches from the entire day's slaughter.

Nothing made me swear off eating beef from the store. As for chicken - I've seen how they're raised (both for eggs and meat) and frankly I'm not appalled by any of that either. I'll gladly cook up chicken and eggs from the store too.

In the current society its darned near impossible to live entirely off the land unless you live on a large tract of land that is your private property which can handle the burden you'll put upon the resident animal population AND if you're inclined to poaching (which isn't a fault in my book if its for subsistence but your local DNR/Fish and Game won't look at it like that).