Baby Chickens for Sale in Castanea, Pennsylvania
Baby Chickens for Sale in Castanea, Pennsylvania
Male Chicks Macerated for Our Eggs — But We CAN Take Action!
Male Chicks Macerated for Our Eggs — But We CAN Take Action!
Do your eggs come from a certified humane producer? Please read this article anyway because it may apply to you, too.
This post is not about plastic. And the information I’m going to share is gruesome, alarming, and heartbreaking. I’ve been sitting with this knowledge all weekend but didn’t want to write a post until I had more information and ideas for action that we can take. Please read on if you care about the welfare of farm animals, and especially if you enjoy eating eggs.
A Shocking Revelation
Last Thursday, Michael forwarded me an article and video about a practice that seems so cruel it takes my breath away. The article, “” describes a video posted on YouTube by the group Mercy for Animals revealing some pretty inhumane conditions at a facility that hatches chicks for egg producers. The video, , shows chicks being roughly handled as they go down a conveyor belt as humans separate out the males from females, tossing the males down a chute where they fall into a machine called a macerator and are ground alive.
Apparently, this is a very common practice. The males are undesirable because a) they can’t lay eggs and b) the males of the species raised for eggs are not good meat producers. And apparently, this practice is considered humane by several regulatory agencies.
I was shocked, appalled, and sickened by what I saw. But I also thought I couldn’t be contributing to this problem because I get my eggs from the farmers market, from , a certified humane egg producer. But just to be sure, I made some inquiries. I called and emailed both Glaum Egg Ranch and also , the organization that certifies farms as humane. I wanted to know what standards existed about this practice, and I wanted to learn how Glaum treats its male chicks.
Certified Humane Does Not Apply to Hatcheries What I learned is that Glaum doesn’t engage in this practice because it doesn’t hatch its own eggs. In fact, few egg producers do. They buy their eggs from pullet producers which buy their eggs from hatcheries. Which means that humane egg producers may be inadvertently supporting this practice through the chicks they buy! Since this news was revealed, Glaum has been doing its own investigating. They are as concerned about this practice as we are. I’m concerned that my certified humane eggs may have originated from chicks hatched at one of these inhumane facilities. And does not have a standard for certifying hatcheries because it simply does not have the resources to do so.
I had a really great conversation this morning with Adele Douglass, Executive Director of Humane Animal Care, who explained to me a little history of the organization and how it came about. Adele had worked for many years in congress and for several organizations lobbying for the welfare of animals. Eventually, she got involved in rewriting agricultural guidelines, so she’s seen how slow the wheels of government turn. As a consumer, she felt overwhelmed and powerless by the mailings she would get from organizations like PETA, that simply offered no other alternative to consumers than complete veganism. She wanted to find a market solution, and that’s why she and several friends created the Certified Humane labelling program, investing all the money they had in something they believed in.
Humane Farm Animal Care is primarily concerned with the treatment of animals being raised for food and for eggs. You can read the details of the standards on their web site. And the organization actually audits every single farm that requests certification. Regarding hatcheries, here is what Adele wrote me:
We did not write hatchery standards because we did not have any control of the hatcheries. The farmers, as I said, purchase the birds from pullet growers. We do not have the resources to inspect all the pullet growers and then trace back and inspect all of the hatcheries in the US, considering the small number of farmers that are on our program. Every standard must be inspected and audited for. There is no point in writing standards unless you have the capacity to inspect, annually, each and every standard.
That said, the organization absolutely DOES NOT advocate the practice of live male chick maceration and would like to see it stopped.
We Can Take Action!
Besides eschewing eggs, there are other steps we can take to see that this practice is ended as soon as possible. Adele Douglass also told me that research is being done into a procedure for sexing male embryos so that the chicks do not have to actually be hatched and killed. She suggests we write to the Secretary of Agriculture to express our concerns about the treatment of male chicks and ask that funds be allocated for research into alternative methods for sexing males to avoid inhumane treatment.
Write to:
Honorable Tom Vilsack U.S. Department of Agriculture Room 200-A The Whittenberg Building Washington, DC 20250
Dear Mr. Secretary:
I am appalled by the practice of live male chick maceration that is routinely practiced in hatcheries. There is promising research on sexing embryos which would eliminate the current methods of male chick euthanasia. The USDA can help end this inhumane practice by putting funds toward research into sexing embryos. I would like to see this procedure developed as soon as possible to end the suffering and waste created by the painful destruction of so many live birds.
Sincerely,
Beth Terry
Baby Chicks Breeds in Castanea, Pennsylvania
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Castanea Pennsylvania, including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more. Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Castanea Pennsylvania also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Castanea Pennsylvania, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale, turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale, chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of baby chicks for sale in Castanea PA.Baby Chickens And Ducks For Sale in Castanea, Pennsylvania
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Castanea Pennsylvania catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to their site and request one if you are interested.Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Castanea Pennsylvania * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Castanea
Pennsylvania * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Baby Chickens Male Or Female in Castanea, Pennsylvania
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in Castanea Pennsylvania is easy and has always been a very pleasant experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Castanea, Pennsylvania Baby chicks are extremely charming and also challenging to withstand, yet it's ideal to plan for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by collecting not just the proper products, but additionally the correct understanding to care for them. Raising baby chicks is fairly easy, you merely should offer them with the following: A clean and also cozy environment A lot of food and also water Attention and love Habitat Your habitat could be a straightforward box, fish tank, pet cat service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as coverings (without any loose strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks utilize straw over paper. Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just newspaper or various other sandal surface areas-- or your chicks legs could expand malformed. You additionally require something to dish out food and water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water recipe from the feed shop, or a pickle container lid for food and a pet bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you can present a perch into the environment to get them educated on perching. Warmth To maintain your chicks warm you should provide them with a warmth resource. This could be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a hardware shop, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb additionally work extremely well (my recommendation). Chicks need this warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which could use up to two months). The newly hatched require a temperature level between 90 and 100 levels, as well as every week this could be lowered by around 5 degrees approximately. The heat resource must get on just one side of the cage to allow chicks a variety of temperature levels. The chicks are your finest thermostat- if they are hiding in the opposite corner of your heat light, you should decrease the temperature level. If they are smothering each various other under the warmth (not simply snuggling), you have to put some warmth. Home cleaning Sanitation is essential and it keeps your chicks healthy and balanced. Make certain to change the bed linens typically and constantly supply clean food as well as water Food as well as water. Chicks expand quite quick which requires a lot of clean food as well as water. Give sufficient at all times and check usually to prevent dehydrated and also starving chicks. Chick food is various than adult chicken food, and also it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the very first two months, after that switch to a grower food (~ 17 % healthy protein) for an additional 2 months, and then to a slightly reduced protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Dirt Some chicks prefer to get a running start on taking dust baths, while others will not use up that activity till they are older. If you have the room in your chick enclosure, present a tray of sand or dust for them to bathe in. Interest as well as love There are a couple of advantages to spending time with your chicks. First of all, they will more than likely bond with you and also not flee as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily as well as see their behavior, you can capture disease or various other issues earlier. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or various other undesirable indicators. Make sure to likewise take a look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels can result in matted feathers and also obstructed cloaca. Lastly, it is important to look out for social issues, such as the tiniest chick getting teased. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are now fully feathery as well as its time for them to leave the security of your residence and also relocate outside right into a coop. Have a look at our section on chicken coops for more information regarding coops and also proper coop environments.Baby Chickens Baby Chicks Supplies
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