The vegetarians and vegans out there may not like this post. Most of my life I have used a live chicken and when not available I’ll use money.
Is it cruel? I don’t
think holding the chicken above one’s head is cruel and the chicken is then slaughtered and given for food to people who can’t afford it. The idea is that one’s sins are transferred to the chicken and the chicken then dies in the person’s place.
Unfortunate most of the chickens are very sick when people pick them up for Kapparot, and the chickens do sometimes die in the hands. In Lima we got a few healthy chickens from the farm which we used. They were then ritually slaughtered and the chicken will be eaten in the Chabad house over the holiday seasons.
In conclusion I don’t think the ritual was cruel, perhaps there is just the question of whether or not one should eat chicken to begin with?
This link explores Kapparot. They think they are anti the ritual and a bit one sided but still interesting.
http://www.upc-online.org/kaparos/a_wing_and_a_prayer.html
This next link explores Kapparot in a more Scholarly Torah perspective
http://www.bknw.org/pafiledb/uploads/The%20Minhag%20of%20Kaparos%20-%20new.pdf
