Although the ban on chick killing was an important step, according to the German Animal Welfare Federation, animal suffering in egg production has still not stopped a year later. On the occasion of “Dual-purpose Chicken Day” on January 22, the federation is therefore calling for a rethink in chicken breeding - towards more robust and healthier breeds, so-called dual-purpose chickens.
“Highly bred laying hens produce 300 eggs a year, which is dubious. As a result, they often suffer from osteoporosis, which leads to painful bone fractures, and chronic overloading of the laying organs,” explains Annika Lange, specialist for animals in agriculture at the German Animal Welfare Federation. “Even the end of chick killing has not changed these serious animal welfare problems.”
BROOD REARING AND SEX DETERMINATION IN THE EGG ARE NO SOLUTION
The alternatives that have primarily been practiced since the ban on chick killing are the rearing of brother cocks and sex determination in the egg. However, they do nothing to change the excesses of high-performance breeding. In addition, the handling of brother cocks is often contrary to animal welfare, as there are no special regulations on their rearing, keeping and slaughter, which often takes place abroad. With the technologies currently available, gender determination in the egg takes place at a time when the embryos cannot be excluded from feeling pain. “We therefore need to fundamentally rethink breeding. We need to move away from lines specializing in egg or meat production with ever more extreme performance at the expense of the animals, towards more robust and healthier dual-purpose breeds. Although these produce more moderate yields, they are suitable for both egg production and fattening - without the problem of an economically worthless male gender even arising. “This requires a rethink, including in terms of consumption,” says Lange.
About the Day of the Dual-Purpose Chicken: The “Day of the Dual-Purpose Chicken” on January 22 was launched by the “ei care” project - an initiative of Terra Naturkost and the market company of Naturland Bauern AG - and took place for the first time in 2022. Co-initiators are the Bund Deutscher Rassegeflügelzüchter and Ökologische Tierzucht gGmbH.
