A customer leaves Chinese American Live Poultry in Rosemead, one of the last slaughterhouses in Los Angeles County. The diverse clientele -- largely Asian and Latino immigrants -- prize the freshly plucked, head-intact birds that are often used in prayer as well as in dinner. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Dana Phu holds a pair of freshly slaughtered chickens that are ready to be sold. She opened the business with her husband in 1991. The planning commission recently voted to give the business one year to shut down due to complaints from residents about the smell emanating from the business. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Poultry Meat Inspector Martin Reyes, right, carries slaughtered chickens to be placed in a boiler at Chinese American Live Poultry. After the chickens are softened during the boiling process, they are placed in a machine that plucks their feathers. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Jose Luis Chavez, left, and Valentin Guzman clean freshly slaughtered chickens on an assembly line. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
