Factory Farming and Slaughter Lexicon

Agri-business

This is often used to denote factory farms.

Battery Hen

Battery hens are those chickens kept to lay eggs. The eggs are the main product of these birds. They are kept small cages which form long rows containing thousands of birds. This arrangment insures that the total productivity or egg laying capacity of each row can be assessed. When the egg laying in a particular row has decreased below what is allowed the entire row is removed, slaughtered, and replaced with new hens. It is in this way that battery hens are first deemed machines by which to produce eggs, and then secondarily they are slaughtered and eaten.

Broiler Hen

This is a hen that is raised to be slaughtered and eaten.

CAFO

An acronym for Confined Animal Feeding Operation, a CAFO is also referred to as a factory farm. The list of qualifications to be considered a CAFO is too lengthy to list here but can be found by viewing the bulleted list on the following page: Life Down on the Factory Farm. [52]

Downers/Downed Animals

Animals raised in intensive confinement are often injured to the point that they cannot walk or stand. This term usually references mammals such as cows, pigs, and horses. Often these animals are injured during transport to slaughter and are consequently tied to a stationary object while the truck pulls forward, dragging them off the truck and onto the ground. If they become lame at the farm they are either drug off to be slaughtered or left to die. Some states do not allow downed animals to be slaughtered for food while others have no legislation against such practices.

Factory Farm

Long gone are family farms, in their place we have the factory farm; a place where animals are raised for slaughter in the fastest time possible. Factory farms turn out hundreds of thousands of animals in year. Because profit is the only concern, animals in this type of intensive system are crowded far beyond the point of comfort. They are often genetically engineered, physically altered, deformed, medicated, and manipulated. See also CAFO.

Hot-Shot

This is an electrical prod used to force animals into moving or performing. The term Hot-Shot is often used as a generic term to describe all types of electric shocking devices. The actual Hot-Shot made by Division Miller Manufacturing Company is currently sold by varying color handles which indicate the severity of electrical shock delivered by each prod. A green handle is rated by the manufacturer as “Premium” the blue as “Medium Power” and the red as “Economical.” It should be noted that the manufacturer refrains from calling their premium prod “High or Maximum Power.” This is no doubt due to the reality such a description would reveal. There is also a compact model which is entirely black and could all but be concealed in an individual’s hand. [58]

Packing

Also called thumping; this is the procedure where a worker takes a small pig by her hind legs swinging the piglet overhead and slamming its head onto a concrete floor or against some solid object. This is supposed to kill the piglet but often this procedure must be repeated two or three times to complete what one attempt is supposed to achieve.

Thumping

Also called packing; this is the procedure where a worker takes a small pig by her hind legs swinging the piglet overhead and slamming its head onto a concrete floor or against some solid object. This is supposed to kill the piglet but often this procedure must be repeated two or three times to complete what one attempt is supposed to achieve.

Veal Crate

A small three sided structure designed to hold a newborn cow; it is designed to restrict movement as much as possible. If the infant cow cannot move then his muscle will not develop as would naturally be the case. Thus the young cow remains chained in the veal crate for his entire life in order for his flesh to stay soft and desirable. Veal calves are also deprived of iron in their diet so that their flesh will become a lighter color (white veal). These calves sometimes resort to consuming urine in order to obtain what little iron is present in their bodily waste.

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Posted/Updated: 12/15/03