Reply To: Kapparos: Chickens, Fish, or Money?

I think the big kapporos places are now providing food and water for the chickens. I am not sure what the torture is, the swinging around does not have to be done so vigorously, right? The minhag that began as symbolic of the transfer of our sins onto the chicken for a kapporah became commercialized by those needing the parnosah, but they can do this in a safer way, with no tzaar baalei chayim. I think if I had my own little coop in the back yard, I would follow this minhag, no problem. but since we don’t, we do it happily with money.