Animal rights group releases undercover video showing baby chick ‘maceration’

WARNING: Disturbing content. An undercover video taken by an animal rights group has revealed the shocking truth of what happens to baby chickens.

The video you’re not meant to see

WARNING: GRAPHIC.

MACERATION. It’s a strange term most people would not be familiar with, but a shocking undercover video taken by an Israeli animal rights group has revealed the truth about what the chicken meat industry does to baby chicks.

With meat chickens selectively bred to grow three times their natural rate, the rapid growth rate puts pressure on their immature hearts and skeletons.

Chicks that are injured, ill or malformed are deemed ‘unviable’ and sent for disposal, either by gassing or maceration.

The video, released by Animal Rights in Israel, shows the reality of maceration: baby chicks being poured from a conveyor belt into crushing machine.

According to Animals Australia, the standard ‘cull rate’ for chicks at broiler hatcheries in Australia is 0.5 per cent, equating to approximately 2.85 million day-old chicks disposed of each year.

Under Australian industry standards, “humane destruction” of hatched chicks is carried out using “carbon dioxide or high speed maceration”.

“The modern phenomenon of cheap chicken has created one of the world’s biggest animal welfare disasters,” said Animals Australia spokeswoman Lisa Chalk.

“These birds are bred and killed in such huge numbers that they are treated merely as units of production, not living, feeling beings who share the capacity of every other animal to suffer.”

The video attracted more than 300,000 views and has been shared nearly 10,000 times from Animals Australia’s Facebook page.

Dr Vivien Kite, executive director of the Australian Chicken Meat Foundation, said a key welfare concern for Australian hatchery managers is to identify chicks that are not going to survive the first few days after hatching and “ensure that such chicks are humanely euthanised so that they do not suffer”.

“Australia’s hatchery managers are highly experienced and responsible for the welfare of the chicks in their care, and ensure that any euthanasia technique used is rapid, humane and consistent with the recommendations made in Australia’s national code of practice for the welfare of poultry,” she said.

She confirmed the two methods approved under industry guidelines are “carbon dioxide gassing and rapid maceration”.

“The Code also recommends that weak, deformed and unthrifty chicks should be culled and destroyed humanely within 48 hours of hatching,” she said.

“Therefore, euthanasia of chicks meeting these criteria immediately at the hatchery, rather than later following their movement and placement at the farm, is the best option in terms of bird welfare.”

WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT

BREAKING: This world-first undercover investigation reveals what the chicken meat industry does … to babies. Kudos Animal Rights in Israel for this groundbreaking video.

Posted by Animals Australia on Wednesday, 28 October 2015