Male Chicks?

[ChikinInThePines]

Hey BC community!

I wanted to ask a quick question as I know that some hatcheries may operate differently...but what do major hatcheries do with the excess male chicks that aren't sold? I have read (and seen) many chicken industries straight up kill every male chick that is hatched. Out of curiosity for the hatcheries that don't....what happens to them?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Free chicks to "warm" the others in shipment or other pretense of extra chicks as some sort of gift. In reality they are pushing the problem of male chicks onto the consumer who typically have a local ordinance prohibiting cock birds.

And pet food.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Murray McMurray recently said on a Carolina Coops livestream that they euthanize the excess chicks and donate them to a raptor rehabilitation and rescue center as feed. Can’t say what other hatcheries/breeders do.

 

[ChikinInThePines]

Free chicks to "warm" the others in shipment or other pretense of extra chicks as some sort of gift. In reality they are pushing the problem of male chicks onto the consumer who typically have a local ordinance prohibiting cock birds.

And pet food.

I guess that makes sense of why the hatchery I ordered from is throwing in a "Surprise" Chick...it's most likely going to be a male. I have no problem with having 1 male as we can expand for more birbs. I think it's just really sad how some hatcheries just insta-kill the males.

Murray McMurray recently said on a Carolina Coops livestream that they euthanize the excess chicks and donate them to a raptor rehabilitation and rescue center as feed. Can’t say what other hatcheries/breeders do.

Now that is really neat! Sad, but better than just garbage.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

They also become pet food or fertilizer in those large scale industries.

My free chick was always in line with my order.. pullet got a pullet added.. like the meyer's meal maker or extras from Greenfire farms. Not the same as "packing peanuts" used by at least one popular hatchery.

ETA: they were also fed to the carnivors in the zoo.

 

[The Birb King]

Murray McMurray recently said on a Carolina Coops livestream that they euthanize the excess chicks and donate them to a raptor rehabilitation and rescue center as feed. Can’t say what other hatcheries/breeders do.

Thats stupid why would they do that to the cute little fluff balls? Killing chicks at birth should be illegal. Im glad at least Meyer doesn't just kill them like they are nothing. In years past I have ordered from Cackle hatchery, but with all this news about chick killing I might be regretting it. Any idea about what Cackle does with extra chicks?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

sad how some hatcheries just insta-kill the males.

What else are they supposed to do? It's not economical to use them for meat and every other egg that hatches is male on average

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thats stupid why would they do that to the cute little fluff balls? Killing chicks at birth should be illegal. Im glad at least Meyer doesn't just kill them like they are nothing. In years past I have ordered from Cackle hatchery, but with all this news about chick killing I might be regretting it. Any idea about what Cackle does with extra chicks?

Use some as packing peanuts and disposes of the others

 

[The Birb King]

Use some as packing peanuts and disposes of the others

Thats barbaric to kill them for no reason Im glad at least some get homes

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thats barbaric to kill them for no reason Im glad at least some get homes

There is a reason. Being that it's not economical to raise them for meat and people don't want to buy them all. They have to do something with the byproducts of hatching. If you don't like it, either don't buy pullet chicks or authorize packing peanuts for your orders