Chick slaughtering
Encyclopedia
Chick culling is the culling
of newly hatched male chickens for which breeders have no use. In an industrial egg-producing facility, about half of the newly hatched chicks will be male and would grow up to be rooster
s, which do not lay eggs and therefore provide no incentive for the breeder to preserve. Most of the male chicks are usually killed shortly after hatching.
The American Veterinary Medical Association
recommends cervical dislocation and asphyxiation by carbon dioxide
as the best options, but has recently amended their guidelines to include maceration.
The 2005-2006 American Veterinary Medical Association Executive Board held its final meeting July 13 in Honolulu, prior to the 2006 session of the House of Delegates and the AVMA Annual Convention. It proposed a policy change, which was recommended by the Animal Welfare Committee on disposal of unwanted chicks, poults, and pipped eggs. The new policy states, in part, "Unwanted chicks, poults, and pipped eggs should be killed by an acceptable humane method, such as use of a commercially designed macerator that results in instantaneous death. Smothering unwanted chicks or poults in bags or containers is not acceptable. Pips, unwanted chicks, or poults should be killed prior to disposal. A pipped egg, or pip, is one where the chick or poult has not been successful in escaping the egg shell during the hatching process."
s, chick culling is a main reason eggs are avoided by vegans and some vegetarians.
Culling
Culling is the process of removing animals from a group based on specific criteria. This is done either to reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group...
of newly hatched male chickens for which breeders have no use. In an industrial egg-producing facility, about half of the newly hatched chicks will be male and would grow up to be rooster
Rooster
A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
s, which do not lay eggs and therefore provide no incentive for the breeder to preserve. Most of the male chicks are usually killed shortly after hatching.
History
Prior to the development of modern meat breeds, most male chickens (cockerels) would usually be slaughtered for meat, while females (pullets) would be kept for egg production. However, once farmers bred separate meat and egg breeds, it became apparent that there was no reason to keep males of the egg breed alive. As a result the males of every 'batch' of egg-laying chickens would be killed as soon as possible to reduce losses incurred by the breeder through the feeding and sheltering of them. Special techniques were developed to accurately determine the sex of chicks at as young an age as possible.The culling of unwanted chicks
In industrial factory farms, chicks that are not intended for rearing are culled shortly after their sex is determined, usually before they are 72 hours old.Methods
Several methods have been used to cull chicks:- Maceration, using a large high-speed grinder into which the chicks are fed.
- Gases or gas mixtures, often carbon dioxide is used to induce unconsciousness and then death.
- Cervical dislocationCervical dislocationCervical dislocation, "breaking the neck" or "snapping the spine" are terms used to describe this killing method intended to be quick and painless...
, manually induced dislocation of the spinal column from the skull. - ElectrocutionElectrocutionElectrocution is a type of electric shock that, as determined by a stopped heart, can end life. Electrocution is frequently used to refer to any electric shock received but is technically incorrect; the choice of definition varies from dictionary to dictionary...
, a new method that has been touted as being cheap, reliable, and humane by its developers
Recommended culling practices
The American Veterinary Medical Association
American Veterinary Medical Association
The American Veterinary Medical Association , founded in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 81,500 U.S. veterinarians working in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia, and uniformed services....
recommends cervical dislocation and asphyxiation by carbon dioxide
Controlled Atmosphere Killing
Controlled atmosphere killing is a method for slaughtering animals such as chickens by placing the animals in a container in which the atmosphere lacks oxygen and consists of one or more of argon, nitrogen or carbon dioxide, causing the animals to lose consciousness...
as the best options, but has recently amended their guidelines to include maceration.
The 2005-2006 American Veterinary Medical Association Executive Board held its final meeting July 13 in Honolulu, prior to the 2006 session of the House of Delegates and the AVMA Annual Convention. It proposed a policy change, which was recommended by the Animal Welfare Committee on disposal of unwanted chicks, poults, and pipped eggs. The new policy states, in part, "Unwanted chicks, poults, and pipped eggs should be killed by an acceptable humane method, such as use of a commercially designed macerator that results in instantaneous death. Smothering unwanted chicks or poults in bags or containers is not acceptable. Pips, unwanted chicks, or poults should be killed prior to disposal. A pipped egg, or pip, is one where the chick or poult has not been successful in escaping the egg shell during the hatching process."
Controversy
Animal rights activists maintain that many of the current practices surrounding chicken slaughtering are unethical. Along with the keeping of hens in battery cageBattery cage
In poultry farming, battery cages are an industrial agricultural confinement system used primarily for egg-laying hens...
s, chick culling is a main reason eggs are avoided by vegans and some vegetarians.
External links
- http://consumerist.com/2009/09/video-shows-chicks-getting-ground-up-alive.html
- Undercover chick culling video (disturbing)