Killing chicks has been banned . The Bremen Consumer Center investigated what the manufacturers do and how transparently they deal with it.

  • Since the beginning of the year, male chicks have no longer been allowed to be killed in Germany
  • The market check shows: almost all fresh egg packaging contains a note about not killing chicks
  • Half of the manufacturers are open with information and mention brother cock fattening as the chosen method

High-performance laying hens supply German fresh eggs for the food trade. “There are specialized companies for the individual stages in the life of a laying chicken ,” explains Annabel Dierks, nutrition expert at the Bremen Consumer Center. Hens and roosters live together in parent animal houses. Fertilized eggs are created there, which are then hatched in hatcheries in incubators. After hatching, specialists sort the chicks by gender: the female chicks grow into pullets. In laying farms with known farming methods, they lay an average of 301 eggs per year. The hens live there for around 1.5 years.

So far, the male chicks have mostly been killed.

This will end in Germany this year. Actually - because laying farms can continue to purchase pullets from abroad, where the procedure is still permitted. If these hens lay eggs in Germany, the packaging and the egg may say that they come from Germany.

Rearing or sorting before hatching

According to the new law, German companies now have to raise male chicks. Even if this is relatively uneconomical, as they only produce little meat slowly and of course cannot lay eggs. The second option is to determine the sex in the egg and sort out these eggs early. However, it is criticized that the embryos already feel pain. “Both options are therefore not optimal and are more of a symptom of combating the disadvantages of such highly specialized breeding,” says Annabel Dierks. “In the long term, it is desirable to keep chicken breeds that lay a lot of eggs and produce good meat,” explains Annabel Dierks.  

In the market check: measures against chick killing

Just in time for Easter, the Bremen consumer advice center looked at how transparently manufacturers are dealing with the new regulation. The market check included 29 egg packs from stationary grocery stores. 27 of 29 packages contained a note about not killing chicks. “However, only 15 manufacturers wrote on the packaging in an easily understandable manner which method they used. There is still room for improvement here ,” criticizes Annabel Dierks. In all cases mentioned it was the Bruderhahnmast. Seven packages also bore a label from the numerous initiatives against chick killing. What exactly the printed label means was usually not explained on the packaging.

Consumers want organic eggs

There is a large selection of eggs in grocery stores. An important criterion for the decision is the housing class, which can be recognized by the stamp on the egg - from 0 for organic farming to 1 for free-range farming to 2 for barn farming. According to Agrarmarkt Informations-GmbH (AMI), of all organic foods, private households most often buy eggs from animal-friendly farming practices. This was reflected in the stores' offerings and in the market check: of the 29 packages examined, 15 came from organic farming, eight from free range and six products from barn farming. In terms of overall consumption in Germany, however, barn farming comes first, as these eggs are often found in processed foods such as pasta or biscuits.

Price is not a reason for eggs from a poorer breeding class

The higher price of organic food is often the reason why products from lower farming classes end up in the shopping basket. “This argument cannot apply to eggs,” says Annabel Dierks. The price range for organic eggs is large – from 29 cents to 63 cents per egg. “This means that the cheapest organic eggs have the same price as some free-range eggs. If it is important that the hens have more space and can go outside, you can choose organic eggs even if you have a small budget,” says Annabel Dierks.

Source: Bremen Consumer Center

Related to the topic: Brightly colored chicks (fact check)


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