Chickens | Pigs | Cattle | Turkeys | Aquaculture

Chickens

The United States raises and slaughters almost 10 times more birds than any other type of animal. Approximately 9 billion chickens are killed for their meat every year, while another 300 million chickens are used in egg production. All birds—meat chickens, egg-laying hens, turkeys, ducks, geese and others—are excluded from all federal animal protection laws. By sheer number, these are the animals most urgently in need of protection. The ASPCA is working actively with companies that buy or raise chickens to encourage the adoption of higher-welfare practices.

Pigs

The U.S. raises around 120 million pigs for food each year, the vast majority [PDF] of whom are raised in barren crates or pens at industrial-scale facilities without fresh air or sunlight. They live on hard, slatted floors that do not accommodate their natural urge to root. Ammonia fumes rise to dangerous, uncomfortable levels due to high concentrations of waste. The ASPCA is working actively with companies that buy pork or raise pigs to encourage the adoption of higher-welfare practices.

Expand to read more

Pigs tend to be curious and intelligent animals, so barren surroundings can cause frustration exhibited in abnormal behavior like tail-biting. To “fix” this, the industry has adopted a common practice of cutting off a portion of pigs’ tails and/or their teeth, without painkillers. Most female breeding pigs (sows) in the U.S. spend their reproductive lives confined to a gestation crate. These crates are barely bigger than the sow’s body and prohibit her from turning around. Sows are artificially inseminated and kept in their gestation stalls until a few days before delivering, at which time they are moved to equally restrictive farrowing crates to give birth. They remain there while nursing their young, and then are placed back in their gestation crates and re-inseminated. This cycle continues for several years, until the sows are no longer as productive and are sent to slaughter. Quick Facts In natural environments, about 24 hours before giving birth pregnant pigs will leave their social group to collect branches and soft materials to build a nest. The mother will stay isolated in her nest with her newborns for the first week, which allows her to develop a strong bond with her piglets.

Both male and female pigs are raised for food.

Pigs are as smart as or smarter than most dogs. They are one of only a few species Americans consider suitable for both keeping as pets and raising for food. Progress for Pigs Consumers are becoming savvy to misleading labels on pork. Learn more about what various claims and certifications mean with our Pork Label Guide.

Some states have banned the use of gestation crates and even banned the sale of pork from animals kept in cages, or those born to mothers kept in cages. See where your state stands on confinement bans.

Dozens of companies have explicitly banned gestation crates from their supply chains, and many companies are working with the ASPCA to adopt welfare certifications.

​Many companies have already adopted certification programs that ban cages, address certain physical alternations, require more spacious and enriched group housing, and offer pigs adequate bedding and nesting materials. Learn about welfare-certified and plant-based pork brands on our Shop With Your Heart brand list.

Cattle

Cattle are raised and processed across several distinct industries with differing practices and welfare concerns. The ASPCA is working actively with companies that raise cattle or buy their products (beef, dairy or veal) to encourage the adoption of higher-welfare practices.

Turkeys

Approximately 240 million turkeys [PDF] are raised for meat in the U.S. annually. Like chickens, turkeys suffer from growth-related lameness and are housed in groups on the floors of long sheds where they are denied fresh air, sunshine and pasture. Turkeys also develop abnormal behaviors in these environments, which can result in cannibalism. The ASPCA is working actively with companies that raise turkeys or buy turkey to encourage the adoption of higher-welfare practices.

Expand to read more

Modern, industrially raised turkeys look very little like their wild ancestors. For one, they are disproportionately breast-heavy (a result of genetic selection), reflecting a consumer preference for breast meat. Their unnaturally fast and disproportionate growth causes painful physical ailments and difficulty walking or even breathing. Turkeys have become so unnaturally disproportionate that they can no longer mate with one another. Their bodies, which were only meant to reproduce once per year, are further damaged by year-round artificial insemination. Quick Facts Between 1930 and 2017, the weight of the average turkey raised for food in the U.S. more than doubled from 13 to 30 pounds.

Turkeys have the innate urge to perch and fly, but the selectively bred turkeys on factory farms are too large to do so. Progress for Turkeys Consumers are becoming savvy to misleading labels on turkey. Learn more about what various claims and certifications mean with our Turkey Label Guide.

Some companies are working with the ASPCA to adopt welfare certifications.

Many turkey companies have already adopted certification programs that address certain physical alterations as well as the effects of fast growth, and require space, better lighting and enrichment. Learn about welfare-certified and plant-based turkey brands on our Shop With Your Heart brand list.

Aquaculture

There is a common misconception that fish and other aquatic vertebrates do not feel pain; however, studies demonstrate that they are sentient and capable of both fear and suffering [PDF]. Aquaculture—the farming of fish and other aquatic species—is one of the fastest-growing areas of food production, surpassing global beef production. About half of all consumed fish—namely salmon, tuna, cod, trout and halibut—are raised in artificial environments, as opposed to being wild-caught, creating a number of welfare concerns.