Baby Chickens for Sale in Emporia, Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Emporia, Virginia
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 Male Or Female in Emporia, Virginia
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Emporia Virginia, 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. Emporia Virginia also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Emporia Virginia, 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 Emporia VA.Baby Chickens Diet in Emporia, Virginia
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Emporia Virginia 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
Emporia Virginia * 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 Emporia
Virginia * 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 And Baby Ducks in Emporia, Virginia
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 Emporia Virginia 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 Emporia, Virginia Baby chicks are really adorable and also tough to withstand, but it's finest to prepare for their arrival prior to you get them. Prepare first by gathering not just the right materials, however likewise the correct understanding to look after them. Raising baby chicks is fairly straightforward, you simply need to give them with the following: A tidy and also warm environment Lots of food and water Focus and also love Environment Your environment can be an easy box, aquarium, cat provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels and also coverings (without any loosened strings!) to begin, and after a couple of weeks utilize straw over newspaper. Note: Avoid making use of just paper or other slipper surfaces-- or your chicks legs can grow malformed. You likewise require something to serve up food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and water meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar lid for food and also a family pet bird water dispenser from a pet dog shop. Additionally, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch into the habitat to obtain them educated on setting down. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you need to offer them with a heat source. This can be as simple as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb likewise work effectively (my suggestion). Chicks require this heat 24/7 until their downy fluff is changed with feathers (which could use up to 2 months). The freshly hatched need a temperature in between 90 and also 100 levels, as well as weekly this could be decreased by approximately 5 degrees approximately. The warmth source need to be on just one side of the cage to allow chicks an array of temperatures. The chicks are your finest thermometer- if they are concealing in the other edge of your heat lamp, you should minimize the temperature level. If they are surrounding each other under the heat (not just curling up), you need to put some heat. Home cleaning Tidiness is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to change the bed linen often and consistently supply tidy food and also water Food as well as water. Chicks grow quite quickly which calls for lots of tidy food as well as water. Supply sufficient at all times and also inspect often to prevent parched as well as hungry chicks. Chick food is different compared to grown-up chicken food, and it is available in both medicated as well as non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the very first 2 months, then switch to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, and then to a slightly reduced protein feed or a level feed (if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want to obtain a head start on taking dirt bathrooms, while others won't occupy that task up until they are older. If you have the space in your chick unit, present a tray of sand or dust for them to wash in. Attention as well as love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly probably bond with you and also not flee as grownups. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and see their actions, you could capture health problem or other issues earlier. Watch out for wheezing, limping, or various other unhealthy indicators. Make certain to also check out their poop, as diarrhea could result in matted plumes and also clogged up cloaca. Lastly, it is necessary to keep an eye out for social issues, such as the tiniest chick getting badgered. Empty nest syndrome So your chicks are currently completely feathered and its time for them to leave the security of your home and also relocate outside right into a cage. Look into our part on chicken cages for more information about cages as well as correct cage habitats.Baby Chicks House Baby Chicks For Easter
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