Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-g4j75 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-14T04:41:59.519Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Killing day-old chicks? Public opinion regarding potential alternatives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

F Leenstra ,
G Munnichs ,
V Beekman ,
E van den Heuvel-Vromans ,
L Aramyan  and
H Woelders
F Leenstra*
Affiliation:
Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands
G Munnichs
Affiliation:
Rathenau Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands
V Beekman
Affiliation:
Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI), Wageningen UR, The Hague, The Netherlands
E van den Heuvel-Vromans
Affiliation:
Rathenau Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands
L Aramyan
Affiliation:
Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI), Wageningen UR, The Hague, The Netherlands
H Woelders
Affiliation:
Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: ferry.leenstra@wur.nl
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Throughout the world, male chicks from layer breeds are killed just after hatching, as they are not profitable as regards the production of meat. The Dutch and European parliaments have insisted on research into possible alternatives to the killing of day-old chicks. In the present study we have investigated Dutch public opinion on the acceptability of these alternatives by means of discussions in so-called focus groups and via a public survey through computer-aided personal interviews (CAPI). To inform the participants about the subject, a film was made to explain the current practice and introduce a number of technological alternatives that would prevent development of male embryos, as well as the possibility of creating a ‘dual-purpose chicken’ that would allow male chicks to be used for meat production. The topics addressed in the study included the willingness of participants to pay a premium for eggs and chicken meat, were it necessary to prevent killing of male chicks. Focus-group discussions showed that many participants were unaware of the current practice of killing male chicks, and were shocked by this practice. However, once informed, the participants seemed able to take various considerations into account and rank the alternatives. The alternatives ‘looking into the fresh egg (to determine sex of the egg and not incubate male eggs)’, and ‘dual-purpose chickens’ scored best out of all the possible alternatives, and higher than maintaining the current practice. ‘Influencing the laying hens such that they produce fewer male eggs’ scored the same as maintaining the current practice. The use of ‘genetic modification to facilitate looking into the fresh egg’ scored only slightly lower than maintaining the current practice. Alternatives whereby developing male embryos die, or are killed, scored lower than maintaining the current practice.

Keywords

animal ethicsanimal welfarechickskillinglaying henspublic opinion
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 37 - 45
Copyright
© 2011 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aerts, S, Boonen, R, Bruggeman, V, De Tavernier, J and Decuypere, E 2009 Culling of day-old chicks: opening the debates of Moria? In: Millar, K, Hobson West, P and Nerlich, B (eds) Ethical Futures: Bioscience And Food Horizons pp 117–122. EurSafe 2009, Wageningen Academic Publishers: Nottingham, UKGoogle Scholar
Barbour, RS and Kitzinger, J 1999 Developing Focus Group Research. Politics, Theory And Practice. SAGE Publications: London, UKCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bloor, M, Frankland, J, Thomas, M and Robson, K 2001 Focus Groups In Social Research. SAGE Publications: London, UKCrossRefGoogle Scholar
EC 1993 EU Council Directive 93/119/EC On The Protection Of Animals At The Time Of Slaughter Or Killing. EU: Brussels, BelgiumGoogle Scholar
Elliot, J, Heesterbeek, S, Lukensmeiyer, CJ and Slocum, N 2006 Participatieve Methoden. Een Gids Voor Gebruikers. Vlaams Instituut voor Wetenschappelijk en Technologisch Aspectenonderzoek: Brussels, Belgium. [Title translation: Participation methods: a guide for users]Google Scholar
Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals 2008 Report of the 245th Session. EP: Strasbourg, FranceGoogle Scholar
Evans, A and Miele, M 2007 Consumers’ Views About Farm Animal Welfare. Part 1: National Reports Based On Focus Group Research. Welfare Quality Reports No 4. University of Cardiff: Cardiff, UKGoogle Scholar
FAO 2010 The State of Food and Agriculture. Livestock in Balance. www.fao.orgGoogle Scholar
Koenig, M, Hahn, G, Damme, K and Schmutz, M 2009 Utilisation of laying-type cockerels as poussins; growth performance and carcass quality. Proceedings 17th European Symposium on Poultry Meat and Eggs. 21-25 June 2009, Turku, FinlandGoogle Scholar
Leenstra, F, Munnichs, G, Beekman, V, Heuvel-Vromans, E, Aramyan, A and Woelders, H 2008 Alternatives for killing day-old male chicks. Wageningen UR Animal Sciences Group Report 142. Lelystad, The NetherlandsGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality 2007 Alternatives Killing One-Day-Old Chicks. Dutch Parliament 30 800 XIV nr 86: The NetherlandsGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality 2008 Report Alternatives Killing One-Day-Old Chicks. Letter to the Parliament 2008/2397: The NetherlandsGoogle Scholar
NOM 2008 Dutch National Research Multimedia. www.NOMmedia.nlGoogle Scholar
PVE 2010 Productschap Vee, Vlees en Eieren. www.pve.nlGoogle Scholar
Regan, T 1983 The Case For Animal Rights. University of California Press: Berkeley and Los Angeles, USAGoogle Scholar
Schaublin, H, Wiedmer, H and Zweifel, R 2005 Vergleich der Mastleistungen und Fleishckwalität von Hähnen ausgewaählter Legelinien mit einem extensiven Masthybride. Aviforum, Zollikofen: Switzerland. [Title translation: Comparison of performance and meat quality of cockerels from laying hen lines with a slow growing broiler]Google Scholar
Singer, P 1975 Animal Liberation. Harper Collins: New York, USAGoogle Scholar
Woelders, H, Brom, FWA and Hopster, H 2007 Alternatieven voor doding eendagskuikens; technologische perspectieven and ethische consequenties. www.minlnv.nl. [Title translation: Alternatives to killing day-old chicks: technological perspectives and ethical consequences]Google Scholar