Annual Sacrifice of 330 Million Chicks Reveals True Cost of a Dozen
In en, there is an invisible account that grows by tens of thousands every hour. They are male chicks who, not laying eggs or fattening enough, end their lives before reaching 72 hours. The scene is repeated in incubators throughout Europe and has raised alarms in Brussels.
Why are male chicks discarded?
The selected breeds for egg production can lay up to 300 eggs a year, but their male counterparts do not fatten enough for the meat market. Fattening a “laying” chicken would require twice as much feed and time as a conventional broiler, increasing the chain: more feed, more water, more emissions, and little demanded meat. Therefore, male chicks are often destined to feed zoo raptors or exotic reptiles.
The technological twist: in ovo sexing
Companies like the German SELEGGT or the Dutch In Ovo develop optical and endocrinological sensors capable of sexing eggs between day 9 and 12, when the embryo still does not feel pain. Male eggs can be converted into high-protein feed or pharmaceutical ingredients. France and Germany have already legislated to prohibit the killing of chicks; their industries receive subsidies to install these machines and avoid relocating breeding to countries without restrictions.
Political and economic pressure in Spain
The Sumar group has registered parliamentary questions and a non-binding proposition for the Ministry of Agriculture to subsidize early sexing and outline a schedule for prohibition. The Government argues that advancing the measure without European support could close local incubators and force the import of chicks from neighboring countries. Meanwhile, Spain prepares its roadmap: public consultation until July, draft reform in 2026, and possible continental veto in 2027.
For the poultry sector, the investment in technology is around 0.02–0.04 € per egg to the consumer, a cost that competes with the distribution’s fragile margin. But the social demand for animal welfare is growing: German and French supermarkets already label “eggs without the sacrifice of males”, gaining premium market share. Ignoring the trend could be more expensive than adapting the chain, analysts warn.
A new horizon for European eggs?
Legislative modernization could make the EU the first economic bloc to eradicate the mass slaughter of newly hatched chicks. The key will be to balance science, funding, and trade: demanding the same from imported products and compensating farms that invest in technology. If successful, eggs will continue to be in the shopping basket at a slightly higher cost, but free from one of the most questioned practices of modern livestock.
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