New Technology Offers a Humane Alternative to Chick Culling
A closer look at how the egg industry could stop the routine killing of male chicks — and the solutions already within reach.
Each year, around 7 billion newly hatched male chicks are killed by the egg industry, a practice known as chick culling.
Because male chicks cannot lay eggs, they are considered surplus by conventional egg production and are destroyed shortly after hatching.
But a new explainer from Mercy For Animals, an Ecoflix partner, sets out why this does not have to continue.
The organization explains what chick culling is, why it happens, and — most importantly — what can change.
The hopeful message at the heart of the piece is that alternatives exist. Emerging approaches make it possible to move away from the routine killing of male chicks altogether.
By raising awareness of the issue and pointing to practical solutions, Mercy For Animals aims to help shift the industry towards more humane practices.
The explainer is part of the group's wider effort to inform the public about how everyday food systems affect animals, and to show that better options are achievable.
Understanding how eggs are produced is a first step, the organization suggests, and knowledge can drive the kind of change that spares billions of animals.
To learn more about chick culling and the alternatives that could bring it to an end, watch the story and explore the work of Mercy For Animals.