Alternatives for killing 1-day-old chicks

Saving lives of day-old chicks intended to be killed because they are useless commercially is not a option for us. In Pakistan, no chick is killed, either males from GP or layer breeders. They are sold very cheap to customers other than commercial farmers. This is a popular business specially in villages, where homes have ample space to raise these chicks on refuse and ultimately these chicks are consumed as the gain sufficient weight thus providing a good source of protein at a very low cost. In underdeveloped countries with huge populations and low income, this kind of arrangement helps to produce a good source of cheap protein for those who cannot afford to buy chicken otherwise.

This is a good subject. In India these male chicks of layers are called cockerels, and there is good demand for commercial cockerels in various places in this country. The Hatcheries sell @ Rs.0.5 to Rs 1.0 per chick depending upon demand. Industry has developed special cockerel feed to get optimum body weight. I feel healthy D.O.C. (day-old chicks) should not be killed. Dr Sushil Chandra

Re: Alternatives for killing 1-day-old- chicks This universal problem, so -to- say, could thrive successively in advanced countries of the world like The Netherlands that had been referred. Take a look at what is happening in Pakistan as enumerated by Dr. Arshaq Ramzee that is the feature(s) in the underdeveloped nations of the world like Nigeria where I come from. So, to destroy these male chiks to me and to a large extent is a wanton destruction which should be discontinued with. We have several thousands of villages like in Pakistan where these chicks could be sent to for the indegenes to benefit from the cheaply sourced poultry protein. The case of The Netherlands could be used as aids to these villages around and the souls of these multitudes would pray for such countries with this mind set. However, another dimension I want the impending research to tilt is the development of feed that could serve as fatener for this male chicks such that could have an equivalent substitute for the broiler meat. Thank you.

Yes the day old chicks should not be killed as they can be sold as cheap protein in the type of system that Mr. Arshaq Ramzee has pointed out. The feed cost should matter to the locals where the male chicks can grow up on the waste at backyards in rural areas and provide protein to address the concern of undernourishment in the developing countries. So pioneer companies like Venkys should take an corporate social responsibility initiative and be proactive to provide the malnourished population with these chicks for free when they are anyways killing.