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I’m struggling to see the nefarious angle here—-this seems like a case where both ethical and efficiency concerns are well-aligned, for a modest increase in cost that may disappear with scale. How is this anything other than a win?
You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
41–50 of 131 posts
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#42Is there really a big difference if the chick is destroyed shortly before or shortly after hatching? Why is hatched-or-not the ethical standard?
Possibly this is related to our individualistic society.
The easier it is to project one's own pain onto something, the easier it is to assume that it is a universal problem.
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#43There are at least 4 ethical/price tiers for eggs based on the quality of the hens life, and this adds a 5th to protect rooster chicks from slaughter.
Ethical eggs are a luxury good that I can afford and am willing to pay for, but the blatant 'will trade cash for feeling ethical' is tough.
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#44Is there really a big difference if the chick is destroyed shortly before or shortly after hatching? Why is hatched-or-not the ethical standard?
If destroyed early enough one imagines it doesn't have a sufficient brain to have a conscious awareness of its existence and therefore would not suffer fear not pain
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
Male chicks make as good of soup as hens. However, roosters are assholes and don't get along with other roosters by the time they are butcher weight.
They don't get along with any animals, and the problem starts well before they're butcher weight. It's not uncommon for an entire hen house to wind up murdered if you don't sex your chickens.
My in-laws turned quite a few roosters into dinners while trying to find one which actually had an even temper with their chickens, so yeah it's a serious issue.
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
male chicks aren't useful if we bring them into being we will have to kill them.
Male chicks make as good of soup as hens. However, roosters are assholes and don't get along with other roosters by the time they are butcher weight.
It sounds like (based on the article), large-scale companies will usually either do eggs or chicken meat, not both. So you're not wrong but I see why it's not that simple.
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
Male chicks make as good of soup as hens. However, roosters are assholes and don't get along with other roosters by the time they are butcher weight.
They don't get along with any animals, and the problem starts well before they're butcher weight. It's not uncommon for an entire hen house to wind up murdered if you don't sex your chickens.
Do elaborate. Does Chad Thundercock go ballistic on all the hens?
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#48If you were a chicken behind the veil of ignorance choosing your fate, would you choose immediate death (male) or a short, difficult, confined life (female)? To many advocates, it’s self-evident that the hen’s life is better than immediate death. This is not obvious to me. It depends on the hen’s quality of life.
I would be happy if we could just ban battery cages to start. I can't think of a more horrible fate aside from being a foie gras goose or a veal calf.
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#49To those arguing that this is irrelevant, I urge you to search for a video of this "culling" yourself.
All the logic in the world can't ease my stomach after watching a conveyer belt of chicks get dumped directly into a meat grinder. It's simply not right. And while there are still many issues remaining in the meat industry (arguably its existence at all), this is one less.
Re: You can now buy eggs from in-ovo sexed hens
#50[flagged]
Wait, so we can all agree that killing the male chicks is inhumane. But you think the solution, _to not birth the male chicks_, is just as inhumane? If so, awful take. This is infinitely better and most definitely a step in the right direction.
No, you are putting words into my mouth. Try to argue in good faith through understanding the other party's viewpoint before responding.
I don't see much difference between killing chicks after them being born, or stopping them from being born in the first place. The only difference is in the efficiency of business operations.
If my values are that each deserves a chance at a life--whatever life it may be, I can advocate for searching for a better solution. I did not prescribe an alternative, don't pretend that I have.
EDIT: Damn, the hostile responses (Ad hominem, bad faith arguments, etc) to such a simple philosophical discussion I've been getting are unbelievable. I don't think there is much value in participating anymore. Thank you everyone for your responses.