Los Angeles – September 12, 2026 -- An estimated 7 billion male chicks are killed globally each year, roughly 200 every second, as the egg industry continues routine chick culling despite the commercial availability of in-ovo sexing technology, according to a new investigation released by Mercy For Animals.
Investigation documents culling methods inside a commercial hatchery
The nonprofit's probe shows newly hatched male chicks being separated from females and killed shortly after hatching through maceration or gassing, depending on the facility. The investigation also documented deformed or unsold female chicks being discarded through the same methods.
Germany and France have banned chick culling as alternatives scale up
In-ovo sexing technology, which identifies embryo sex before hatching, has reached commercial deployment in the United States and Brazil. Canada has developed technology capable of determining sex as early as day four of incubation, ahead of methods used elsewhere in the market.
MRI with AI achieves over 99% accuracy at one cent per egg, professor says
Andrew Knight, a veterinary professor of animal welfare, said MRI-based AI sexing systems now process eggs in under one second with accuracy exceeding 99%, at an average cost of one cent per table egg. Knight noted these systems can identify male embryos before day 13 of incubation, a threshold considered unlikely to involve pain, and said hatcheries are adopting the technology quickly across Europe and the United States.
Mercy For Animals launches global campaign targeting industry policy
Arash Yomtobian, president and CEO of Mercy For Animals, said the technology to end chick culling already exists and there is no justification for its continuation. The organization has launched Crack the System, a global campaign calling for policies and industry action to shift egg production away from routine male chick killing.