Billions of chickens are slaughtered annually in conditions that current science identifies as causing significant suffering, with practical alternatives available.
Conventional poultry slaughter involves conscious birds being hung upside down by their feet, a painful and frightening experience. Water bath electrical stunning can fail to render birds insensible if current is insufficient or if birds raise their heads. Multi-step gas killing or effective electrical stunning can eliminate or reduce these welfare problems. The scale of birds slaughtered makes even small improvements in methods enormously significant.