Actually, having majored in biology, anatomically we are omnivores, which is why we have both flat molars for breaking down tough plants, and canines for tearing meat.
And a study of the way our digestive system is set up shows us that, from an evolutionary standpoint, we are designed to be primarily fructivores.
In any case, I too am not a vegetarian, don't eat a lot of meat or dairy, but believe that all animals should be raised and treated humanely, including the way in which they are eventually slaughtered. There is no valid reason, and it is morally reprehensible, to cause any animal to suffer unnecessarily.
I have a small farm in Tennessee, but although I have raised chickens for eggs, I have yet to slaughter any animals for food, with the exception of fish when I go fishing with my husband.
And I have no moral quandry against meat eating, but I also don't remove myself from the equation; as a long time hiker and SCUBA diver, I wrote a poem years ago to the effect that, should I ever be killed by a wild animal, be it a cougar, shark, or whatever, I DO NOT want the animal harmed on my behalf, as that would be going against my own beliefs that I was in THEIR environment, and they had every right to do what they did, as part of their natural behavior.
I do believe that we humans need to do a MUCH better job of making sure that animals raised for food do not suffer, as commercial feedlots and warehouse slaughterhouse operations are effectively palaces of suffering, and that reflects on ALL of us badly.
All animals deserve to be well treated and with dignity.
And yes, though it sounds counterintuitive, there are kind ways of putting an animal to death. It takes love and kindness, and caring for others, which are certainly possible for us all.
thank u for sharing ur opinion. I own a small farm for raising chickens too but when they get old I have no choice but to put them to death but making sure they suffer least possible.
Most of the people I know who raise chickens cull the extra roosters and older hens at least annually. It just makes good economic sense not to keep feeding animals that aren't producing something of value.
So far, when I have culled, I have sold off the extras rather than slaughtering them, but as we want to include chicken meat in our and our animals' regular diet, eventually I'm going to have to learn to slaughter them humanely, which I'm not looking forward to doing.
But I know, given my deep and lifelong love for animals, that I'll take far greater care to do so as kindly as possible, which most will not. Having majored in biology, and knowing a fair amount about their bodily morphology, will help as well.