We often hear people say, “I don’t eat veal because killing a baby is wrong. But what if we told you that every animal violently slaughtered on a factory farm was a baby? Don’t believe us? Read this:
Turkeys
The natural lifespan of a turkey is 10 years, but through special breeding, turkeys reach “market size in just 8–26 weeks. They’re literally just babies.
Ducks
In the wild, ducks can also live up to 10 years, but like most birds on factory farms, they’re slaughtered at 8–26 weeks. Again, babies.
Egg-Laying Hens
Mother hens on factory farms live terrible lives, often shoved into crowded battery cages. While they have the potential to live up to eight years, due to unnaturally high egg production, they typically only live a year or two. In nature, egg-laying hens would produce one egg a month, but through intense breeding on factory farms, they produce around 27 eggs a month, which takes a major toll on their fragile bodies.
Males of Egg-Laying Chicken Breeds
Because male chicks do not lay eggs or grow quickly enough to be raised profitably for meat, they are often killed within hours of hatching. Some are ground up alive while others are gassed or suffocated. If given the chance to live, these little guys could grow up to be eight years old. More lives cut short.
Chickens Raised for Meat
Known as “broilers, these birds are bred to grow extremely fast. So fast, in fact, that their legs often break under the birds’ own weight. Naturally, these chickens could live for eight years, but they’re slaughtered at just six weeks.
Catfish
Like cows, pigs, turkeys, ducks, and chickens, catfish raised on factory fish farms are killed at a very early age. Born into filthy and crowded tanks, catfish reach “slaughter weight in just under two years. In the wild, these intelligent and sensitive fish could live for 20–30 years.
Pigs Raised for Meat
While pigs in nature live for about 15 years, on factory farms they are selectively bred to grow extremely fast, reaching slaughter size in just six months. Rapid growth takes a toll on these gentle animals, often causing joint problems. WTF is right!
Mother Pigs
Sows on factory farms are constantly bred and always confined to small, filthy cages. In nature, they could live for 15 years, but instead they’re killed after only 3–5 years because their bodies can’t handle constant breeding. They’re treated like nothing more than birthing machines.
Cows on Dairy Farms
While their natural lifespan is 25 years, cows raised on dairy factory farms become so physically exhausted from being constantly bred that they’re often slaughtered at only four or five years of age. Horrible, right?
Cattle Raised for Beef
The natural lifespan of cattle is about 15–20 years, but due to selective breeding, cattle on factory farms are killed at only 18 months. I don’t know about you, but just over a year old is a baby to me!
Calves on Veal Farms
We know, we know — you don’t eat veal because the calves are just babies. But like we said, all animals killed on factory farms are just babies. Calves raised for veal could live for 15–20 years, but are often killed at just 32 weeks.
Want to learn more about the lifespans of farmed animals? Watch.
Luckily, consumers can withdraw their financial support from farmers who kill baby animals by adopting a healthy and humane vegan diet.
Click here for tips on making the transition to a cruelty-free lifestyle.