I always pop a critter with a .22 right behind the ear or base of skull. Commercial slaugther houses us a captive bolt gun to do the same thing.
Knocks the beast out but leaves the heart working. After they go down...hoist, then cut the throat and let it bleed clean.
that video around with the old cow and the forklift... All beef, horses, or whatever has to be healthy and and under it's own steam to be inspected as good to kill animal... those guys were just plain wrong to do that.
Adrenaline taints meat flavor too. That is the downside to big plants... the first one doesnt know whats coming ... all in line smell blood then get excited.
I try to kill one or two a day.. calmly. Game animals that get wounded and run have the same problem... good shot -clean kill keeps that adrenaline down and you get better quality meat.
Eating meat aint for sissys. I grow a garden and the cries of the veggies haunt me at night. We used to pull all sorts of bunnies and small critters out of a variety of harvesting machines on the farm too.
Moral.... if what happend to get your food to Aisle 12 bugs you...dont ask how it got there.
Jeff