Farm Animals

Poultry Welfare: Hatchery Practices Reform

Hatchery practices including chick sexing, dehydration, and transport cause significant welfare impacts that are receiving increasing policy attention.

Key Facts

Male chicks in the laying hen industry are killed at day of hatch by maceration or gassing in most countries
In-ovo sexing technology enables identification and removal of male eggs before hatching, avoiding day-old chick killing
Chick transport duration from hatchery to farm affects welfare through dehydration and temperature stress
First-feed programmes that provide nutrients at hatch improve chick welfare during transport and early brooding

Welfare Considerations

Hatchery welfare encompasses the entire period from egg incubation through to chick placement on farm. The scale of welfare impacts - billions of day-old male chicks killed annually and large numbers of female chicks stressed by transport - makes hatchery reform one of the highest-impact available welfare interventions.

What You Can Do

Support brands committed to in-ovo sexing technology that eliminates male chick killing
Advocate for minimum transport duration standards for day-old chicks
Engage with research on first-feed programmes and other hatchery welfare improvements