To NYReds
Foolishness is not comprehending what one reads, but only seeing what they want. Maybe we did not watch the same video but scalding the chick with hot water that doesn't kill, is not disposing of it. Letting the chick get caught in the equipment and maimed then tossed on the floor without wringing its neck first, is not disposing of it. Letting the chicks float in buckets of sewage until they drown or succumb to injuries is not disposing of male chicks. It is animal cruelty. If you still cannot see that my friend, then substitue the word puppy everywhere that you see chick in this post.
If you still think hyline is doing nothing wrong and that these chicks cannot be dispatched better, then I will put you on my prayer list. Wait do you own hyline stock? Cause other egg farms, hatcheries, commercial farms do better than this.
Are you only looking for the bad? Yes, chicks suffering is bad. Yes, there are others who are more humane. Yes, it pains me to see any animal suffer, but I also know that there is very little that can be done. My own chickens are beloved pets but it is not logical or economical to wring every chick's neck, not at such a large scale. These are NOT pet chickens nor are they useful layers, they are extras that can not be humanely and economically raised and so are put down. Chickens get the short end of the food industry stick. Maybe some of the males could be saved, go to good homes, and live a full, happy life, but pretty much all of us have struggled to rehome an extra cockerel or two. Those not afraid to do so raise it, butcher it and eat it. Now imagine millions of extra cockerels. Ones that grow slowly, don't get very big, and eat a ton. There is no way to make any money by raising these for meat, and that is the crux of the problem: a hatchery is a business, and actions that lose money are not good business practices. Sorry.
As for the issue with egg producing hens, the owners of the businesses are not going to be cruel for no reason. Those hens are what makes their living and are treated as well as possible while maintaining a successful company. When they no longer contribute, they are disposed of as kindly as they can be and still be reasonable.
Comparing chicks to puppies is also null. You can't. Dogs are mainly bred as pets. Chickens are not. The majority of the population, at least in the US sees dogs as pets and chicken as food. They would be horrified to even think about eating dog meat. Also, dogs raised for meat do not produce anything else. There is no need to separate them by gender. Deformed or sick ones are probably disposed of, but who knows? In truth, distinctions between livestock and pets is subjective, and that there is no difference with eating the meat of different animals.
