I used to think that animals bred for our consumption lived a full life.
But this is the truth:
| The facts | average age at slaughter | average natural lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| cattle9 | 12-18 months | 20-25 years |
| dairy cows10 | 3-5 years | 20-25 years |
| bobby calves* / baby veal | 1-2 weeks11 | 20-25 years12 |
| veal (calf) | 4-6 months13 | 20-25 years14 |
| lamb | 3-10 months15 (young lamb is often advertised as spring lamb) | 15 years16 |
| broiler chickens | conventional: 35-49 days17 organic: 63-80 days18 | 7 years19 |
| egg laying chickens20 | 18 months | 8-12 years |
| pigs | 4-6 months21 | 10-12 years22 |
| suckling pigs | 2-6 weeks | 10-12 years |
- See more at: http://www.sustainabletable.org.au/Hungryforinfo/Factoryfarming/tabid/106/Default.aspx#sthash.ecLe37Ka.dpuf
From
http://www.sustainabletable.org.au/Hungryforinfo/Factoryfarming/tabid/106/Default.aspx
The second biggest reason I became Vegetarian is that these animals may be fearful and traumatised at the time of their death, about their own impending death, and the death of the other animals that they are with.
If you'd like to know more a website I like is http://www.makeitpossible.com/
