Killing method
Male Chick Macerator
Day-old chick disposal
This photograph shows Day-old chick disposal.
This photograph shows Day-old chick disposal.
What it is
Chicks with no commercial use are killed at the hatchery on the day they hatch. Maceration destroys them mechanically while alive; other hatcheries use controlled-atmosphere systems.
Where it sits in the system
Sex or breeding purpose decides which chicks are worth rearing. The rest are killed at the hatchery before they ever enter a production line.
Welfare concern
Everything turns on handling and on whether the chick loses consciousness and dies at once. Overloaded machines, poor maintenance and incomplete killing mean that some do not, and the harm is severe.
Worth being precise about
Methods vary between hatcheries, and the outcome for the chick depends on whether death is immediate. The image on this entry is gated because the hatchery context is distressing.
