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Hatchery defends itself as chicks are ground up alive
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Workers at the Hy-Line hatchery in Iowa were caught on video using the most gruesome method for disposing of unwanted newborn male chicks. The chicks were sent into a grinder while they were alive.
A video shot by an undercover animal rights activist who was hired by the hatchery was given to the Associated Press, who reported the shocking story to the public. Chicago-based Mercy for Animals said it shot the video during a two-week period in May and June.
It graphically shows innocent, live chicks being lifted onto a conveyor belt that carries them to a chute which drops them into a grinding machine. In other parts of the video a chick is shown dying on the factory floor after falling through a machine and another dying after being scalded.
Mercy for Animals is calling for the grocery chains that purchase eggs from the hatchery to post warnings on the egg cartons, telling consumers about the horrific practice.
The hatchery in Iowa is owned by Hy-Line North America, which is the leading egg producer in the country. The Iowa facility produces 33.4 million chicks annually. Nationally the company produces 200 million female chicks a year. They also produce 200 million male chicks, for which they have no use.
Mitch Head is the company’s spokesperson. His initial response to the video was that an investigation “of the entire situation” will be completed. He also added that it would have helped their investigation “had we been aware of the potential violation immediately after it occurred.” He said the video “appears to show an inappropriate action and violation of our animal welfare policies.”
Head was referring to the chicks that died on the floor from falling or being scaled, not the ones in the grinder.
That is because he and Hy-Line North America strongly defend their policy of using a grinder to dispose of unwanted male chicks. This is what he had to say about the practice.
First he notes that the killing is an “instantaneous euthanasia” that is backed by the veterinary and scientific community. Using a grinder, Head said, “Is the most instantaneous way to euthanize chicks.”
“There is, unfortunately, no way to breed eggs that only produce female hens,” he continued. “If someone has a need for 200 million male chicks, we’re happy to provide them to anyone who wants them. But we can find no market, no need.”
Sadly, both the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States confirmed what Head had to say. Jonathan Loworn, vice president and chief counsel for HSUS reported that there is no federal law that guarantees the humane euthanasia of animals on farms or hatcheries. Furthermore Loworn warned that, “Virtually all egg farms, even those that sell cage-free eggs, get their hens from hatcheries that kill their male chicks.”
Nathan Runkle, executive director of Mercy for Animals, asked, “Is this justifiable just for cheap eggs? The entire industrial hatchery system subjects these birds to stress, fear and pain from the first day,” he said.
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