Most of the plants I have heard of use electric shock to render them unconscious before they cut their throats. However, I would agree that they are treated far worst during their lives than the way they are killed.
In fact, I just read an article about pushing for gassing chickens first instead of electric shock.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/business/22chicken.html?_r=1
I like to think that my farm animals have a good life before we use them for food. Their deaths are quick or instant. I sure see a lot of gross things living on a farm, but I still really hate to see anything suffer. We just snap the necks of our chickens and then boil them. I never heard of it the other way around. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if some personal farms did that, but I really can't imagine a processing plant killing that way.
The hot water bath makes them easier to pluck rapidly.
Compared to a life, or death, once every couple of weeks or months and having relative freedom to move around and breed etc?
That to me is why I don’t have a real problem with cockfighting per se, though I wouldn’t attend one..:D