Further, ammonia emitted by the massive buildup of urine and feces in sheds will irritate the birds eyes and upper respiratory tract. 1 Piglets are due for a few unpleasant surprises in the form of minor surgery. Castration is done because consumers are thought to find the meat of intact males objectionable. For six months per year, most sows are confined in crates and stalls in which they cannot turn around. The problem is very real.
Confinement can also put considerable stress on the legs and hooves of pigs.
As a result, lameness and hoof injuries are important problems in some herds. The Canadian pork industry counters that sows must be confined to prevent them from crushing their piglets, but scientific experts say that most crushing occurs in the first few days after birth. The same study reveals that the high percentage of waste in the pig s diet can cause vomiting and diarrhea. 6 Dairy cows, while sometimes permitted to range in open pasture, still spend most of their lives chained by the neck in milk stalls, reduced to lethargic milking machines. Even Ottawa s Experimental Farm, known for relatively humane standards, says its dairy cows are chained by the neck 23 hours a day during winter months.