Baby Chickens for Sale in Bothell, Washington
Baby Chickens for Sale in Bothell, Washington
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 Baby Chickens in Bothell, Washington
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Bothell Washington, 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. Bothell Washington also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in Bothell Washington, 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 Bothell WA.Baby Chickens Near Me in Bothell, Washington
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Bothell Washington 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
Bothell Washington * 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 Bothell
Washington * 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 Chicks Male in Bothell, Washington
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 Bothell Washington 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 Bothell, Washington Baby chicks are quite cute as well as challenging to stand up to, however it's best to prepare for their arrival before you get them. Prepare first by compiling not just the appropriate products, but additionally the proper knowledge to care for them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably easy, you just have to supply them with the following: A clean and warm and comfortable environment Plenty of food as well as water Focus and also love Habitat Your environment could be an easy box, aquarium, cat service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as blankets (without loose strings!) to begin, and after a few weeks use straw over paper. Note: Avoid making use of only newspaper or various other slipper surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand misshapen. You additionally need something to dish out food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water dish from the feed store, or a pickle jar cover for food and also a family pet bird water dispenser from an animal store. Also, as the chicks grow older you can introduce a perch right into the habitat to get them trained on perching. Warmth To maintain your chicks heat you should offer them with a warmth resource. This could be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a hardware store, or an infrared reptile heat light bulb also work extremely well (my recommendation). Chicks require this warmth 24/7 until their downy fluff is replaced with feathers (which could occupy to two months). The newly hatched out need a temperature level in between 90 as well as 100 levels, and also each week this could be decreased by roughly 5 degrees or so. The heat resource need to be on simply one side of the cage to enable chicks a variety of temperatures. The chicks are your finest thermostat- if they are concealing in the opposite edge of your warmth light, you should decrease the temperature. If they are smothering each various other under the warmth (not just cuddling), you need to include some warmth. House cleaning Sanitation is key as well as it keeps your chicks healthy and balanced. Be sure to alter the bed linens frequently and also consistently offer clean food as well as water Food and also water. Chicks expand very fast which requires plenty of tidy food and also water. Give enough in any way times and check frequently to avoid parched and also starving chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated as well as non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the first 2 months, after that switch to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for one more 2 months, and afterwards to a slightly lower protein feed or a level feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking dirt baths, while others won't occupy that activity up until they are older. If you have the space in your chick unit, introduce a tray of sand or dirt for them to bathe in. Interest and love There are a few benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. First of all, they will certainly more than likely bond with you and not escape as adults. Second, if you examine your chicks daily and also see their behavior, you could catch ailment or various other troubles earlier. Keep an eye out for hissing, hopping, or other undesirable signs. Be sure to likewise consider their poop, as looseness of the bowels could bring about matted plumes and also clogged cloaca. Finally, it is important to look out for social concerns, such as the littlest chick getting teased. Vacant nest syndrome So your chicks are currently fully feathery and its time for them to leave the safety of your home as well as move outside into a cage. Check out our part on chicken coops to read more regarding cages as well as appropriate coop habitats.Baby Chicks Habitat Baby Chickens Male Or Female
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