Want to know about Halal Chicken.

Many allegations have been made that Islamic slaughter is not humane to animals. However, Professor Schultz and his colleague Dr. Hazim of the Hanover University, Germany, proved through an experiment, using an electroencephalograph (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) that *Islamic slaughter is THE humane method of slaughter* and captive bolt stunning, practiced by the Western method, causes severe pain to the animal. The results surprised many.
 

Experimental Details:

1. Several electrodes were surgically implanted at various points of the skull of all animals, touching the surface of thebrain.

2. The animals were allowed to recover for several weeks.

3. Some animals were slaughtered by making a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife on the neck cutting the jugular veins and carotid Arteries of both sides; as also the trachea and esophagusHalal Method.

4. Some animals were stunned using a captive bolt pistol humane slaughter by the western method.

5. During the experiment, EEG and ECG were recorded on all animals to record the condition of the brain and heart during the course of slaughter and stunning.
 

 
Results and Discussion:

I - Halal Method

1. The first three seconds from the time of Islamic slaughter as recorded on the EEG did not show any change from the graph before slaughter, thus indicating that the animal did not feel any pain during or immediately after the incision.

2. For the following 3 seconds, the EEG recorded a condition of deep sleep - unconsciousness. This is due to a large quantity of blood gushing out from the body.

3. After the above mentioned 6 seconds, the EEG recorded zero level, showing no feeling of pain at all.

4. As the brain message (EEG) dropped to zero level, the heart was still pounding and the body convulsing vigorously (a reflex action of the spinal cord) driving maximum blood from the body: resulting in hygienic meat for the consumer.

II - Western method by C.B.P. Stunning

1. The animals were apparently unconscious soon after stunning.

2. EEG showed severe pain immediately after stunning.

3. The hearts of the animal stunned by C.B.P. stopped beating earlier as compared to those of the animals slaughtered according to the Halal method resulting in the retention of more blood inthe meat. This in turn is unhygienic for the consumer.

(Many thanks to Muslim Students Organization - University of Miami)

Answer: The laws of kosher slaughter (shechita) are designed to be the most humane possible, preventing pain to living creatures (tza'ar ba'alei hayim), by a swift and immediate death.

If a kosher slaughterer (shochet) uses a properly honed and sized knife for the animal in question (generally twice as long as the diameter of the neck of the animal) and the knife severs with one motion the trachea, esophagus, and blood vessels of the neck, then suffering should be minimized. Properly executed and with the most modern equipment devised to protect against violations of the fundamental laws of kosher slaughter, shechita will result in the animal dying within literally seconds and then bleeding out maximally.

What we don't want to do, obviously, is to frighten, mishandle, or cause the animal to struggle, for that would lead to emotional pain (tza'ar) and it might also lead to defective slaughter (which would then be pointless if the animal were not to be kosher meat). While shechita isn't foolproof, it has been observed that the animals suffer as minimally as possible when slaughter is done by trained and experienced shochtim. Minimal suffering is the goal no less than a pronouncement that the meat is kosher for not having violated the physical steps of shechita.

According to Rabbi Isaac Klein z"l of the Conservative Movement, there has been discussion about stunning, by electricity or anesthesia, for a number of years. Some have seen no objection to it, but the overwhelming majority have ruled against it.

In my own limited experience, the use of a stun gun or a bullet frequently doesn't actually stun or kill the animal; it actually can add to the animal's pain and thrashing. Thus, stunning techniques aren't guaranteed to reduce animal suffering.

In my opinion, the best way to further reduce suffering is newly designed equipment that facilitates an upright shechita. It literally cradles the animal, prevents the head from falling, and thus makes it unnecessary to invert the animal. I understand that many Orthodox authorities have not yet approved this new implementation, and it is going to be expensive for the slaughter houses to do so. But I believe that if the resulting meat is as kosher physically and it is obtained in a more humane fashion, then we should buy kosher meat from slaughter houses that use this new equipment.

I should add that recent films, study of the issue and a study of health rules for the human being are urging me to consider a far more vegetarian way of life. I already overwhelmingly eat fowl rather than beef. Rabbi Klein notes that perhaps all of these regulations for kashrut were intended to promote a vegetarian lifestyle. He suggests that perhaps God permitted us to eat meat as a concession to our humanity, but that vegetarianism is really God's first choice.