I'd like to respond to 2 comments..
1) Animal slaughter is not a pretty science, but is necessary for humans to survive
Not true. Eating animals is not necessary to survive. Maybe in caveman or pilgrim times, but not nowadays.
My wife is a vegetarian, but does eat fish. Plus she gets her protein from soy, cage free eggs and nuts. (I eat meat, chicken and fish, but tried the soy meat -- its' ok, but not all that great. But believe it or not, it has less fat and just as much protein as real meat and chicken).
Now maybe you personally couldn't survive without meat or chicken, but it is not necessary for humans to survive. These days there are MANY alternatives. You should see my freezer and cabinets!
2. If you're gonna EAT an animal that has been KILLED why would you care how it was previously treated?
For some vegetarians its about animals having feelings. Fish, lobster, shrimp, etc. studies have been done that their brains are so small, they don't feel pain. So alot of vegetarians eat fish.
My wife has accepted that animals are killed and eaten, including by her husband, but she would at least like to think they enjoyed their life on earth before meeting their demise. She only buys cage free eggs, because she knows they come from a chicken that lived a better life, then one trapped in a cage.
I'm not sure about up there in NC, but we have Whole Foods in Florida. Their animals are organic, roam free (not locked in a cage until death), etc. Let me tell you, the food there is more expensive, but tastes better and is better for you. (You should see the size of some of these turkeys for Thanksgiving! Very tasty too.)
What's the difference between dogs, cats, cows, chickens, etc. Some countries eat dogs and cats. I dont know about you, but my pets have feelings and I would be heartbroken if somebody killed them to eat them. What's the difference because we call them "domesticated" and they are "pets" -- no difference, cows, chickens, horses, dogs, cats, pigs -- they do have feelings and feel pain. And that is important, even to somebody like me who eats lots of chicken.
Not trying to make this a meat vs. vegetarian discussion, but most meat eaters don't understand the other side. I see both sides in my household, as does my wife.
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I see they were mentioned early on in the thread. Very nice setting. I had to ask if they raised the meat locally because there was no immediate evidence of farm animals... no sounds.. no smell! So they took me around the corner and within 100 ft were the hogs "hanging out" on the hill and the chickens, not really "cooped up" in their coop. Pig farms are notorious for their bad smell and waste production, and this place was odorless. Maybe the wind was blowing in the right direction, but the overall impression was pleasantly bucolic. 
