Out Waste Delmarva's 12 slaughterhouses process more than 12 million chickens in a single week. More than 12 million gallons of water are used each day in the process. This waste water is filtered through treatment plants to kill bacteria, break down solids, limit toxicity and remove nutrients. When it is released into the waterways, any remaining pollutants must be within mandated levels or the slaughterhouses are liable for fines. 980,000 Berlin, Md.
Forklifts place the cages on flatbed trucks, which rumble off to the slaughterhouses.
Then forklifts load them onto conveyor belts rolling into the plants. In a dark chamber inside, workers hang the birds on metal hooks, upside down by their feet. Down the line they roll, hundreds of birds a minute. Bursts of electricity stun them, then the conveyor line runs necks past blades for the kill. Blood drips into tanks the size of wading pools.