The fats and oils in the feed often come from slaughterhouse floor leftovers and sometimes even from industrial by-product waste. In one case in the United States, the FDA traced PCB residues found in turkey meat to the bird's feed which contained waste oils from a chemical plant's scum pond. Along with these feed additives, the birds are also injected with growth hormones to speed up growth and antibiotics to prevent disease. Easily frightened, the birds often suffer injuries and die as a result of poor handling and extreme weather conditions during transport. In many cases, pre-stun shocks can occur as other body parts like wings touch the water before the heads.
Some operations use hand held stunners which are even less effective in inducing cardiac arrest.
After being stunned, the turkeys' throats are cut and the birds are placed in a scalding tank which loosens the feathers for plucking. An independent Canadian study has revealed that 70 percent of poultry are likely to regain consciousness before they are knifed and scalded. This is probably due to the fact that we have lower voltage and shorter stunning time regulations than in Europe or England. In Canada approximately 20 million turkeys a year are produced and slaughtered in this manner for consumption. The US Department of Agriculture estimates that in 1996 more than 297 million turkeys will have been slaughtered in that country.