Read on shopthecoop.com

[dozen chickens]

I was looking at this shop online, and read this disturbing information...


Please note: If you are buying peeps from hatcheries, they kill males in mass. If you do not want to contribute to the killing of thousands of baby male peeps, you may want to consider hatching your own. Welp & McMurray are just of few hatcheries that partake in the killing .

 

[kstaven]

OUCH ..... That is a very inflammatory and irresponsible statement for another business to be making. I see lawyers in their future!

 

[asher]

It's not untrue. The majority of hatcheries do that. I don't neccesarily think they should have named names, but many do that and/or sell them for dog food, among many worse and inhumane ways of killing them (or rather "letting them die") etc.

 

[arlee453]

ALL hatcheries have to 'dispose' of their extra/unsold chickens. For laying breeds, that's thousands of males per week. For meat birds, that's females, often.

They can't accurately predict demand or hatch rates carefully enough to hatch just the right amount of chicks each week.
AND of course, there is no way to sex the eggs before they hatch, and eggs hatch 50/50 males to females.

If you hatch your own, you have the same issues. You will either have to live with a lot of extra roos, eat them, cull them or find them other homes.

While I disagree with them listing specific hatcheries like these two are the only ones (ALL hatcheries that hatch in large quantity, or sell sexed chicks have the problem of excess chicks) What they say is factually accurate, other than implying that by hatching your own you somehow avoid having the 'incorrect' ratio of males/females.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
True... Any business or public forum should educate rather than incite others. It is not good for public relations. If you want to make a point, don't put names with it like that.

 

[carousel]

I didn't read the statement,
However, years ago I volunteered at the Oregon Zoo one day a week. I worked with their birds of prey program. We had to cut up and weigh the food for the birds each day - food was 3 things
a premade chow with vitamins etc, mice and day old chicks.
Let’s face it; even people on this board will process their roosters and no one gives it much of a 2nd thought, it is part of the life being a chicken. The difference is that some of this happens with day old chicks.
CS

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I always wondered where the extra males went. I am happy I do hatching eggs now. At least they have a better shot at life. Poor baby chicks.

 

[meloncholy88]

The business is a hobby, and no untrue statements have been made.

 

[kstaven]

Not untrue. But the same problem exists for those who hatch eggs or breed their birds.

 

[DuckLady]

We as consumers have to take the majority of the blame for this.
How many say
"I want only pullets"
"I ordered 25 pullets"
"Hey, they sent me extras and they are ROOS!"

What do we expect them to do with the unwanteds? Send them to a roo sanctuary?