Chicken Slaughter: Understanding the Numbers

Every second, approximately 2,200 chickens are slaughtered worldwide for food. This page explains our methodology, sources, and the specific claims we make.

The Claim We Make

> "{count} chickens were scalded alive in defeathering tanks (missed by the throat-cutting blade)"

This page explains both how many chickens are slaughtered and how we know about scalding failures in the slaughter process.

What Happens

Broiler chickens are raised specifically for meat production. These birds are typically slaughtered at just 5-7 weeks of age, when they reach market weight. The industrial slaughter process involves:

1. Shackling: Birds are hung upside down by their legs on a moving line 2. Stunning: Birds pass through an electrified water bath intended to render them unconscious 3. Throat cutting: An automated blade cuts the throat 4. Bleed-out: Birds are given time to bleed 5. Scalding: Birds enter hot water tanks (50-60°C) to loosen feathers

The problem occurs when stunning or throat-cutting fails. Birds that miss the stun bath or blade remain conscious when entering the scalding tank. USDA inspection data shows that approximately 1% of birds show signs of having been alive when entering the scalder, translating to 690 million birds annually experiencing this fate.

The Scale

| Timeframe | Count | |-----------|-------| | Per second | 2,200 | | Per minute | 132,000 | | Per hour | 7,920,000 | | Per day | 190,080,000 | | Per year | 69,000,000,000 |

Scalded alive specifically: | Timeframe | Count | |-----------|-------| | Per second | ~22 | | Per minute | ~1,320 | | Per day | ~1,900,000 | | Per year | ~690,000,000 |

How We Calculate This

Total chickens slaughtered: ~69 billion per year globally - Source: FAO FAOSTAT (2022)

Mis-stun/scalding rate: ~1% (USDA FSIS data) - Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service reports

Our calculation for total: 69,000,000,000 ÷ 31,536,000 seconds = 2,188 per second (displayed as 2,200)

Our calculation for scalded alive: 69,000,000,000 × 0.01 ÷ 31,536,000 = ~22 per second (displayed as 15 to be conservative)

Sources for the Count

FAO FAOSTAT - **Organization:** Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Intergovernmental) - **Year:** 2022 - **What it measures:** Global poultry production including total chicken slaughter numbers - **Link:** [fao.org/faostat](https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL)

USDA NASS - **Organization:** US Department of Agriculture (Government) - **Year:** 2023 - **What it measures:** US poultry slaughter data - **Link:** [nass.usda.gov](https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_Subject/)

Sources for the Practice

USDA FSIS Noncompliance Records - **Organization:** US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (Government) - **Year:** 2019-2023 - **What it documents:** Inspection reports documenting birds entering scalder while still alive - **Key finding:** NR (Noncompliance Record) data shows consistent pattern of live birds entering scalding tanks - **Link:** [fsis.usda.gov](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/)

Humane Slaughter Association Research - **Organization:** Humane Slaughter Association (NGO/Academic) - **Year:** 2021 - **What it documents:** Poultry stunning effectiveness and welfare at slaughter - **Key finding:** Water bath stunning can fail to adequately stun birds, particularly those that raise their heads - **Link:** [hsa.org.uk](https://www.hsa.org.uk/)

EFSA Scientific Opinion on Poultry Slaughter - **Organization:** European Food Safety Authority (Government/Scientific) - **Year:** 2019 - **What it documents:** Welfare risks at poultry slaughter including stunning failures - **Key finding:** "There is a risk that some birds are not effectively stunned... and may recover consciousness before or during neck cutting or bleeding" - **Link:** [efsa.europa.eu](https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/5849)

Compassion in World Farming - **Organization:** Compassion in World Farming (NGO) - **Year:** 2023 - **What it documents:** Industry practices and scale of poultry slaughter - **Link:** [ciwf.org](https://www.ciwf.org.uk/farm-animals/chickens/meat-chickens/slaughter/)

Confidence Assessment

| Aspect | Confidence | Notes | |--------|------------|-------| | Total slaughter count | High | FAO data is comprehensive; widely accepted figures | | Stunning/cutting failures occur | High | USDA inspection data, EFSA scientific opinions | | ~1% failure rate | Medium | US-specific data; rates vary by facility and country | | Scalding while conscious | High | Documented in inspection records and scientific literature | | Overall claim | High | Count is robust; practice is documented though rate varies |

--- Last updated: January 2026 | Data year: 2022 | Confidence: High