Myth: Male chicks are no longer killed

You have probably seen the viral claims: technology will soon make chick culling a thing of the past. Some brands even advertise that they have already eliminated the practice. But look closer at the global egg industry and a very different picture emerges.

Male chicks are still killed in huge numbers every year, usually by maceration (grinding) or gas asphyxiation, within hours of hatching. This page unpacks the truth behind the myth, the genuine innovations, and what really needs to change.

The claim

The claim is that modern technology and ethical consumerism have ended the killing of male chicks. You can see it in press releases from egg producers, in vegan influencer updates, and in hopeful headlines: "In-ovo sexing ends chick culling". Some people believe that every egg farm now uses this technology or that the practice has been banned worldwide.

This is an oversimplification. In reality, only a handful of markets have imposed bans, and only a tiny fraction of egg companies use alternatives. For the rest, male chicks are still killed at day one, as they have been for decades, because they do not fit the economics of egg production.

Where it comes from

The myth has grown alongside genuine, but mainly European, innovations. In Germany, France, and a few other countries, in-ovo sexing (like the SELEGGT system) was introduced in the late 2010s and can identify the sex of an embryo at around 9–14 days of incubation. This allows male embryos to be discarded before hatching, which avoids the day-old chick cull.

Some producers also use "dual-purpose" breeds, where males are raised for meat, though this is rare and economically challenging. Countries such as Germany and France have announced bans on chick culling, but these apply only to national production, not to imported eggs. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world—including the USA, China, Brazil, and India—chick culling remains legal and widespread. The myth likely persists because people hear a few success stories and assume the entire industry has changed.

What the evidence says

Global data is not precise, but the most widely cited estimate is that around 7 billion male chicks are culled each year worldwide (from the egg industry). That figure comes from analyses of laying-hen populations and hatch rates. For example, in the USA alone, an estimated 300 million male chicks are killed annually.

In-ovo sexing coverage is minuscule. Technicians at SELEGGT and similar systems estimate they had equipped only about 100 hatcheries by 2023. Compare that to the tens of thousands of hatcheries around the world. The percentages are stark: as one scientific review states, less than 0.5% of global egg production currently uses such technology.

Even in Europe, where legislation is most advanced, the bans have exceptions. For instance, France allowed culling to continue until the end of 2022 and had to extend deadlines because of industry resistance. The EU as a whole has not yet banned chick culling; only a few member states have acted.

A 2022 peer‑review study in the journal Innovations in Food Science and Technology noted that in-ovo sexing still has technical limits (false negatives, cost, and the need for specialised equipment). It also stressed that even where it works, it shifts killing from hatched chicks to unhatched embryos, which may still raise welfare concerns depending on the timing.

The kernel of truth

The kernel is that the practice is being challenged. In-ovo sexing is real, and it does prevent the killing of some live chicks. Dual-purpose breeds are also emerging, and some companies, driven by campaigns like those from Animal Equality or Albert Schweitzer Foundation, have committed to remove culling from their supply chains.

Legally, Germany, France, and the Netherlands have made moves to restrict chick culling. Some retailers, especially in Europe, now sell only eggs from in-ovo sexed hens. This is genuine progress and should be acknowledged.

However, the truth ends there. The technology does nothing for the welfare of the hens themselves, which live in crowded, stressful conditions. It does nothing for the majority of farms that cannot afford or adopt it. And it entirely ignores the fact that male chicks are a symptom of a system that treats animals as production units.

The honest verdict

The honest verdict is that male chicks are still killed, and the myth is false for most of the world. Banning the cull in a few wealthy countries is not the same as ending it. If you buy eggs, you are still very likely funding chick culling, unless you verify that the eggs come from a certified in-ovo sexing or dual-purpose system—which is rarely the case.

The only certain way to ensure no male chick is killed is to avoid eggs altogether. A plant-based diet removes you from the entire egg supply chain, so no chicks are hatched or culled because of your choices.

Changing production to be kinder is good, but it is not the same as ending exploitation. The myth comforts consumers rather than prompting systemic change. As KindEco, we believe the real solution is to reduce and replace animal-based products, not to rely on technological fixes within a system that continues to generate suffering.