Colored chicks.

The unfortunate life of a chick.

 

 

What happens to the 250 million male chicks born to hens in the U.S. egg industry each year?

Along with defective and slow-hatching female chicks, they are trashed as soon as they hatch. Upon breaking out of their shells, instead of being sheltered by a mother’s wings, the newborns are ground up alive, electrocuted, or thrown into trashcans where they slowly suffocate on top of one another, peeping to death while a human foot stomps them down to make more room for more chicks. Because the male chicken of the egg industry cannot lay eggs, and has not been genetically manipulated for profitable meat production, he is of no use to the egg industry. Destruction of unwanted male chicks is a worldwide practice.

 

 

In the Philippines those male "chicks" are a popular street food. They are known as "one day old chicks".

You can see them in my street food series here.

Or they might end as colored chicks and be sold to children. I doubt many survive their ordeal ...

Comments

[Krista]

I don't even know what to say. So sad!

[bw]

very tragic. I didn't know that such cruelty on day old chicks existed until I saw the video.

[Marie]

impressionnant, ce reportage. Jolies photos.

[Zhu]

I'm not vegetarian so I guess I can't judge, but I wouldn't be able to eat them.

[Juan]

Only vegetarians have the right to condemn the practice. Even those who eat fish also takes away life.

I don't eat day old chicks because it seems weird to me. I however, don't have the right to condemn those who do for I like beef and other things that crawl.

Peace!

[didier]

L'envers du décor !! la réalité crue de nos sociétés de consommation !!!
toutes les usines d'abattage sont des endroits hallucinants d'horreurs !

[ayie]

In my entire 27rs of life living there I never ate that. Even if I miss the foods there so much I still won't try that when we go back to visit.

[henri]

C'est vrai que c'est terrible photographiquement parlant, mais en regardant ces images, je prend conscience que nous sommes des prédateurs.

[petra]

that film is awful. I don't mind eating meat but why do they have to have a life like that!!!

[Oggi]

At least the male chicks are not thrown away in the Philippines. It's not a bad thing to turn them into food. A week-old or older chick is also good to make into Korean soup. Now I'm getting hungry.LOL

[larhune64]

Une série un peu plus légère , quoique c'est pauvres petites bêtes doivent souffrir quand même .
Je préfère les voir se faire tuer par un chasseurs après une vie de liberté que de les voir comme ça toute leur vie pour le même résultat

[don]

An amazing factual story about the male chick disaster...world wide.

[The Nomadic Pinoy]

So cruel. Makes me feel ashamed eating chickens or even their eggs! Thanks for sharing these.

[bertN]

I didn't know about the worldwide practice of destroying the male chicks!

[MARIANA]

beautiful images ;))

[Ruth]

You always tell the truth boldly and powerfully. Thank you.

[Standley]

Je découvre et cela me laisse sans voix!

[Fokkio]

This is horrible. All for money, profit. Disgusting. Mankind is not always my favorite species...

[JMS*]

Ce n'est vraiment pas drôle d'être née poussin dans ces conditions. Le sort des petits poussins dans le jardin de ma grand mère était bien plus enviable.

[Z Joya]

speechless.

[Amelia]

yeah...exotic food in the Philippines but I never eaten that one day old but I used to see my college friends happily eating those...but me, oh sorry I can't take it...

[rian]

i love eating 'day-old chicks' but reading this makes me feel guilty.. ;D

[dodong flores]

Hi, Sidney. Interesting post. i didn't know about this. What I've seen is only those colored chicks being sold by ambulant vendors...

[michele]

second video is very well done. the things we never think about ...

[Elaine-]

no way was i even going to try to watch that video, i can't believe i even read what you wrote! is there no God for little chicks? i hope the people that hurt animals pay for it after they die...