Dutch Consumers Want End To Killing Layer Males
Sixty percent of the public in the Netherlands wants the industry to implement an alternative to the killing of day-old male chicks from layer flocks, according to a survey published by Wageningen University.
Highly specialized breeds of chicken are used for the production of eggs and meat. Because the male chicks of laying breeds of hens neither lay eggs nor are they profitable as a source of meat, they are killed as day-old chicks. In the Netherlands, every year 30 million male chicks are killed when hatched.
Based on a series of focus groups and a public opinion survey, a clear majority of respondents rated the killing of day-old male chicks as “unpleasant,” “bad,” or “very bad,” and 60% were in favor of finding an alternative.
Based on this research, three alternatives for killing day-old chicks have been identified and are the subject of further research:
- To pick out the ‘male’ eggs by looking inside freshly laid eggs. (Another alternative, e.g. to select the male eggs at a later stage of embryonic development, was considered much less favourable.)
- To influence sex determination by manipulating the environmental factors that affect gender in chickens. However, before following this route, it would be important first to ensure that such changes would not harm the welfare of the chickens.
- The third alternative is the same as the first one, except that it would be facilitated by genetic modification, by using a gene for green fluorescent protein. This method received less support from the public survey than the method without genetic modification.