Animal Cruelty... Not a raciste but these Chinese are cruel and FUCKED UP!!!

"I'm not a raciste[sic] but these chinese are cruel and FUCKED UP

Turkeys are sensitive and intelligent creatures. However, the industrial production system into which these magnificent birds are trapped is anything but sensitive. Each year, millions of turkeys are subjected to painful mutilations, suffer from crippling leg and hip problems, and spend the entirety of their lives in toxic fumes with thousands of their brethren. This is the face of modern turkey production, a sea of white in barren and crowded conditions.

Why the trend towards intensification in the turkey industry? Quite simply, it's because Americans are being persuaded to gobble more turkey than ever before; per capita turkey consumption has more than doubled in 20 years. To meet this growing market opportunity, turkeys are intensively reared for their meat. Following the life of a turkey on a factory farm reveals the many welfare problems associated with raising birds in confinement.

During the first two weeks of life, these baby birds are extremely vulnerable to disease and death, and mortality is highest at this point. Without their mothers for guidance, a number of these poults fail to learn to reach their food or water, which sentences the unfortunate creatures to starvation and death.

Around six weeks of age, the turkeys are moved to growing houses which typically have a capacity of about 50,000 birds. Every available space of these barns is crammed with turkeys, a high volume production that allows factory farmers to dismiss the loss or lower production of individual birds due to stress and disease. The conditions in these buildings are dim and crowded, and lead to damaging behaviors, such as feather pecking and cannibalism.

But rather than adapting the environment to the bird, factory farmers adapt the turkey to the environment. In order to reduce the damage done by feather pecking, farmers trim the birds' beaks. This is done without pain killers or anaesthetic despite the fact that the beak is a sensitive organ with a rich nerve supply.

Another common technique used to counter aggression is dim lighting. Light intensities are so low that turkeys can develop eye abnormalities, and the near darkness seriously hinders normal investigatory behavior.

Since the litter upon which turkeys are raised is not changed during the birds' stay and since the stocking density is high, these turkeys live with a great deal of manure. The manure can produce high levels of ammonia; this toxic gas burns the turkeys' eyes, and is harmful to the turkeys' respiratory tract.

Breeder birds are turkey hens who produce the fertilized eggs from which meat birds are hatched. The females are artificially inseminated because intense selection for breast meat has resulted in a tom so top heavy, he is not even able to reproduce naturally. Hens are subjected to this intrusive and frightening procedure weekly. Toms are not much better off; they face the repeated stress of being "milked" for semen collection.

Turkeys are typically between 14 and 20 weeks of age when they're sent to slaughter. During capture and transport from the farm to the slaughterhouse, a high proportion of turkeys can be injured. Catchers often handle the birds roughly, causing bruising and at times breaking wings and legs. The birds are transported in open crates, which means they are exposed to the elements as well as the noise and vibrations of travel?all of which can be a significant source of stress.

At the slaughterhouse, live birds are hung upside down in shackles. Their large size means this procedure is very likely painful as it puts immense strain on their legs and hips. For turkeys who are already crippled, the pain could be excruciating. The turkeys are stunned so as to render them unconscious prior to having their throats cut and dumped into the scalding tank. There are reports of birds not being stunned properly and then having their throats cut while still conscious?and even reports of birds being conscious when entering the scalding tank.

Other nations such as the United Kingdom and Canada have codes of recommendations for the welfare of turkeys. However, legal coverage for turkeys in the United States is virtually non-existent. The Humane Slaughter Act requires that animals are stunned and thereby insensitive to pain prior to slaughter; however, poultry are specifically excluded from this act.