"How it's Made" hatchery chicks

[GoodEgg]

I just saw a segment on "How it's made" about hatchery chicks. That was too bizarre!!!

I hope not all hatcheries are like this. They would be hatching many thousands of chicks a day it looks like. So very automated, and the chicks fed on so many conveyor belts and tipped off the ends, struggling to keep their footing, it was so sad! Being put through mechanical counters and all kinds of things.

I'm glad they didn't show about the male chicks. This place had to have thousands of surplus every day. Unless so many of those males are used for meat, which I kinda doubt. I am guessing it was an operation that supplies commercial farms. I can't see how else such a huge volume of chicks could be processed.

I'm not sure I wanted to see that. I have a feeling I'm going to have to raise ALL of my own chicken next year. If I learn much more, I'm not going to be able to buy chicken from the supermarket at all. I already can't eat the eggs from there.

trish

 

[hatchcrazzzy]

i guess you would not like to know how they make bologna
or hot dogs

 

[GoodEgg]

Probably not.

But I don't eat bologna, or hot dogs. Or cold cuts, for that matter.

I think I'm going to stop watching those tv shows about food.

A notice came through my work at a health food store last year that the FDA approved spraying what essentially amounted to a virus on processed meats (such as the above) for the sake of a few individuals with a particular immune dysfunction. However, I have a real concern that what they "expect" from a virus isn't always the way the virus will behave, so as far as I am concerned, it's one more reason not to eat such foods.

(I read this one briefly because it isn't stuff we eat anyway, so I may have left out some important details.)

After the initial stages of using it on these meats though, they were supposed to move into whole and cut-up chicken, and other meats.

Sigh ... it looks like I'm going to be ordering a lot of meat birds next year. I can't afford to buy organic meats, but some of this stuff is scary.

And it looks like I need to find a hatchery that doesn't use those sad methods. I can't get the image of those chicks out of my mind. Maybe I'll need a big roo one day after all, and just raise all my own.

trish

 

[PurpleChicken]

I saw that episode too, actually a few times. I didn't find it to
be cruel or even disturbing. It was actually quite fascinating the
way they moved those chicks around. We obviously didn't see
what was going on behind the scenes.

Now factory farms are a different story and I doubt "How it's Made"
would show any of those.

For the most part that episode made me want more chickens. Well,
everything makes me want more chickens, except stupid crowing
silkie roos.

Don

 

[wischickenlover]

I stopped eating store-bought eggs and chicken about three years ago after seeing the atrocities that go on at the egg and meat processing plants. There are regulations regarding how cattle, pigs, and other animals are treated, but there are NO regulations for chickens, and the way they are treated is unbelieveably disturbing and cruel. So far, my daughter, one of my sons, and his GF stopped eating the store eggs and chicken too.

 

[Davaroo]

You want a real treat? Go to Youtube.com and look up "Mike Rowe" and "Dirty Jobs, Chicken sexer."

Youll find out that hatcheries are all run as businesses and are all about the same. The chicks are a source of income for the hatecherists and the care they receive is commensurate with that fact.

You'll also learn some things you might not want to know about those little chickies! Pretty neat stuff, actually...

For the most part that episode made me want more chickens. Well,
everything makes me want more chickens, except stupid crowing
silkie roos.

Don, you and I are kindred spirits, I can tell. You may be interested in a new group I,ve started, too. It's called SNONN, which stands for
"Say NO to Naked Necks."​

 

[chickenworld]

I saw that episode too! It upset my whole family. I hope the chicks were alright in the end.

 

[TheKidAndDame]

I saw that episode before I actually owned chickens. I did find it a little disturbing especially when the chicks are going down the chutes and they look like they fear for their lives, struggling to stay on top. Every once in a while I see these things and vow to become veggie. But then I keep remembering how good meat is. Plus the hubbie would have a fit if dinner ever contained a tofu component.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Yup, my wife and I saw that one and while we didn't think it was too inhumane, we did feel a bit sad for the rumbling and tumbling. I'm guessing those are mostly layers and, unfortunately for some the worst part of their life is not behind them, but will be the time they spend in a bad egg factory.

We also saw these episodes:

How eggs are made
how paper egg cartons are made
how chickens are processed / made

I love that show. Not everything is pleasant, but super educational and fun (at least for a nerd like me).

Every time I see a chicken one I think, "Dang... I wish I could (legally) add that video segment to BYC!"

 

[DixieByrdRN]

OMG I saw it too and was appalled!!! It was awful how they slung them around and they were flopped all around on that conveyer belt