Do you raise livestock humanely?

I do use the vet for all castrations and dehornings...by my choice and necessity. I will be danged if someone is going to force me to do anything. Honestly, I am really tired of organizations under the cover of certified this or that and humane this or that trying to tell me or anyone else how to do things on their own property. Then again, i do treat my animals well. I have a lot of empathy for them and their needs.

I guess some dont and that is what causes a problem...more likely though it is some city person with no idea whatsoever how to raise or care for a animal that is all up in arms about where the milk, beef, chicken, etc comes from and if they had a comfy cozy life beforehand or not.

Well...guess what...they did not get carried around in a purse, i can tell you that much for sure! oops sorry...just went off there for a minute.

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Trish

Seriously, I am COMPLETELY dressed!

Just keep moving...just keep moving!

It's nobody's business how I raise my animals. They are well fed and well watered. Housed out of the weather. I don't need an organization telling me how to treat my animals...I treat them the way I'd want to be treated. More garbage from big brother.

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Dave

"Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded" (2 Chronicles 15:7)

Here where I live almost none of the cattle are provided a roof to be under.
They get windbreaks (treelines) and that is it.

I am not talking about just a couple of ranchers either.
The majority of people do not put their cattle up in barns, ever.

Animals getting rained on, is that inhumane?
According to these standards it might be.
Sort of looked to me like that is what they are saying.

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Cows may not be smarter than People, but some cows are smarter than some people.

I find it interesting that egghead academics who have no experience making a living from the land know better than those who depend on the land for their livelihood. I find it even more interesting that those whose livelihood depends on the land are so quick to be defensive about their actions.

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“The power of accurate observation is often seen as cynicism by those who do not have it”. George Bernard Shaw.

A segregated, second class citizen of HT

How much better is a taste of a cow that has been raise certified than one that isn't? Since thay are talking about beef cows all you will ever see is the meat.

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God must have loved stupid people because he made so many of them.

Gonna be real hard to tell the taste in a steer that was cut by a vet and one cut by a farmer.
I know some people have sensitive taste buds but that seems a little far fetched.

It isn't about taste. People want to believe the animals they are eating were treated humanely. They pay extra for eggs from free range chickens. They have pushed several big fast food chains to buy only from producers that do not use gestation crates. California has outlawed chicken cages.
I find a discussion on humanely raised livestock interesting. Fun to hear folks that are happy the big producer must abandon what they see as inhumane farming practices, then they bristle up at the thought that some group thinks their animals aren't being kept in humane conditions, either.

Naturally raised or humanely raised, grass fed and free range are all terms people associate with a happy, stress-free living conditions for the animals people eat. You want to ride that train, you have to be ready for the next step. Lots of folks that are on the right track get ran over because they weren't moving. This animal rights monster is awake.

This is what, the third time in a week that haypoint has been so desperate for an argument he had to manufacture one.

Usualy the ones that support PETA or other animal rights origination. Why pay more for a roast from one of the certified people than from most other producers unless you have more than enough money and want to spread it around. It is dead when you buy it and how do you want to make sure of anything in the meat packing industry?There are laws agonist abusing an animal but you want it to be certified like organic or any other origination to make sure? There is no reason to think they abuse the cows anyway. .For all you know they abuse them on purpose but not by doing the things listed.

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God must have loved stupid people because he made so many of them.

Not much worse that a person can do to an animal than kill it and eat it.

Only the best for my critters . they get a FIRST class trip from the barnyard to the frezzer every time.

You a vegetarian? There are lot worse things than killing an animal and eating it. With the ban on horse slaughter, a glut of horses hit the market, found no buyers, so many were turned loose in the woods to eventually starve to death. Keeping chickens in cages is worse than a quick death. Failure to provide a warm comfortable place for a litter of pigs, resulting weeks of illness and a slow death. Refusing to administer proper medications, because you “don’t believe in that stuff." is worse than a quick death. I think you know better.

That's what I find so interesting about the whole animal rights movement. Many people will pay extra for a roast from cattle they have some assurance was raised humanely. They buy eggs from free range hens, without understanding that in many cases, the chicken never actually stepped outside. The mere fact that an outside area was available is all it takes. Eggs from cage free hens cost more, too. But that upcharge is because hend lay so many eggs on the floor and they get soiled and aren't sold direct to the public.



For them, you might say, "Fine, waste your money, affects me not." But you'd be wrong.



When McDonalds bends to pressure to be able to trace their beef to farm or origin, everyone that buys their products, pays for that extra cost of documentation. When the PETA group and others like them convince the voters in California to outlaw gestation crates and many large pork buyers follow that lead, the extra costs will be passed on to you, agree or disagree.



That videotaped mess at a California Slaughter Facility, downed cows being rolled out of the way by a Skid-steer, etc. caused a big public reaction. Slaughter facilities now strive to be certified accredited as a Humane Slaughter Facility. There are closed circuit TV cameras in various areas of the back dock up past the killing floor. The Company CEO can watch from his in-office screen and the certification agency can monitor around the clock. Many large beef contracts hang on maintaining that certification.

Why it is because of the animal rights activities that are going around to find substandard cows. A downed cow may have broken a leg in the trailer but that is not what they are looking a for. She may be raised with the utmost care but broke a leg or two and must not be available for slaughter. The reason that many beef contracts hang on that is because of the people not understanding what happened or not wanting to understand.

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God must have loved stupid people because he made so many of them.

Haha, I treat my animals far better than they treat me for sure!



None of my animals live in cages, other than rabbits for winter, but their cages are 2x4ft. Rabbits go back out into open yards 3 seasons of the year, birds live freely, sheep and horses live freely and are never stalled or penned unless they need treatment of some kind. Pigs are getting new, large pens. They refuse to be trained to hot wire and they will run away just to be hit by a car or killed by a neighbor, so it's the best I can do for them. All animals are fed natural, real food diets. They are moved as gently as possible, near no stress, if anything, spoiled as pets that also give us something in return. Even the meat animals are loved and treated the same. They are killed by gun or dislocated neck, the only methods I see as humane and instant.
But we are small scale, so we can easily assure everyone is cared for with the most important thing being how well they are cared for.

I do not believe in 'animal rights' I believe in 'animal welfare'.

How would know this?
Are you able to ask the animals?

I know we often disagree, so I've got to give you a big atta-boy for that. Well said.

Many consumers don't know and haven't the time or interest to learn. They have to rely on what they feel or what someone has told them. The USDA Regulation says a cow must be able to walk from the truck to the killing floor. period. I don't have a problem eating a cow that just broke her leg. But if the general public saw a video of a cow with a broken leg being dragged up the hall to the killing floor, there would be an outrage.

So, a bunch of Animal Scientists have created a set of standards for slaughter. Like the bolt that stuns the cow. It has to be in tip top working condition. You must knock down 97 out of a hundred the very first hit. Previously, a defective tool might need a couple shots to down a cow, causig extra pain and needless suffering. They studied cows. Cows Moo when upset. They had to operate so the cows don't Moo too many times, as an indication of being calm.

Any person that cannot understand that animals suffer and feel pain should be kept away from them.

But you still don't know if an animal would rather be dead than put in a cage. That is your opinion.
Animals might think differently.