Off the Trailer

Once the cows are unloaded, they are forced through a chute.

Cow restrained for stunning.

Shortly after, they are stunned, which is a bolt which makes the animal unconscious. 

the bolt penetrates the brain with a high concussive impact. For cattle, the stunner is placed on the middle of the forehead on an "X" marked between the eyes and the base of the horns.

Electric stunning is also used on cattle. It is when an electric current is passed through the animal's brain, causing it to temporarily loose consciousness. Sometimes, it is passed through the animal's heart so it is killed rather than just stunned.

Cows and pigs are stunned using electric stunning tongs

After the cow is stunned, it is shackled by a hind leg and hoisted above the ground OR it is placed in a skinning cradle. It is sticked, which means stabbed to ensure death, and then skinned and slaughtered.

Stats of Slaughter

First off:

       

       Starting with statistics, 9.7 billion animals were killed for food in 2000;

           41,700,000 of which were cows and calves. 

Cows being transported to slaughter.

         This statistic does not mention the number of animals which die before even making it to slaughter, and the only reason the meat industry care is because they are losing money for every cow that dies before being used for meat or dairy. 
       In the summer, when its over 90ºF, cattle are transported 1,200 to 1,500 miles on a trailer. In the winter, since the trailer is perforated for the cows to breathe, the trailer is going 50 to 60 miles per hour and the windchill can get as low as minus 50ºF. The cows are crammed in these spaces and are defecating and urinating in the trailer. They have no other option but to step in it, and when they go down, they lie in it for up to 10 hours. Imagine if it were people in this situation, dying in their own feces. Imagine yourself, crammed into a trailer, overheated, dehydrated, or freezing.