Does anyone ever wonder about hatchery hens n roos?

[WIChookchick]

I mean, the hatchery's produce a lot of offspring, how hard are they pushing the hens and roosters that produce the
wonderful chicks we all get in the mail. What conditions do THEY live in??
Are they pushed by lights and heat to produce daily?.. how long do they live if pushed that hard?
Is there a dark side to the hatcheries that we just don't want to know about??

Just wondering.
Carol

 

[Southernbelle]

Most hatcheries don't ship in the dead of winter for the chicks' safety and that's when hen production is down anyway, so at least they're not forcing egg laying over the winter with lights. As for the rest, I don't know.

I'm not sure if hatcheries keep their own breeding flocks or if they buy hatching eggs from breeders.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I think most of them use 15 or 20 farms to supply them. I dont think they have any chickens on site. But yes they use lights to keep production going all winter. But remember a chicken naturally lays all year in the tropics. It only seems unnatural to people that live in the north or south were day length changes.

 

[WIChookchick]

bump