If you are familiar with the way chickens are killed for consumption in factory farms, you know about many of the horrors they face.

Overcrowded conditions make them peck each other to death out of stress. Females often have their beaks burned off with a hot blade to prevent this, and they subsequently starve; males, considered useless, are often thrown into bags to suffocate.

You also know that there are more humane ways of slaughtering animals. Controlled-atmosphere killing (or CAK), though still killing, is a more humane method to use.

It involves placing an animal into a container that lacks oxygen, but contains argon or other elements to make the animal lose total consciousness. Hens can lose consciousness within 20 seconds, enabling a much less painful death without the suffering.

McDonald’s has chicken suppliers that use these factory farm methods of slaughter mentioned above. At these slaughterhouses, birds are “dumped out of their transport crates and hung upside-down in metal shackles.”

This treatment often results in hemorrhaging, bruising and broken bones. Workers are also known to cut the throats of live birds and to dunk the chickens into scalding-hot water to burn off feathers while they are still fully conscious.

And the worst part is that McDonald’s knows it continues—through their own investigations into the matter—and yet they do nothing to stop it.

In the study that the company did on its own suppliers, McDonalds found that CAK would be better for the animals and stop most of the abuses the animals endure.

It would also cost nothing for McDonald’s to require its chicken suppliers to use CAK; so why aren’t they doing it?

To ask McDonald’s to make this humane change, sign this petition at Care2.com. You can also take action by:

Spreading the Word: Tell friends and family about what McDonald’s is doing and ask if they will sign on to the petition, too. Remember, this isn’t asking anyone to stop eating meat; it’s asking for a more humane way of getting the meat, which shouldn’t be objectionable to anyone.

Don’t Eat It: Boycotting is one of the strongest actions a person can take against a company. The place where you can do the most damage is through the cash register! You can mention this in your letter, too: that you enjoy the food, or you were a customer, or whatever, but that you will be taking a break until they can implement the CAK method.

Learn More: Read more on this issue, get downloads and take action at McCruelty.com.