The Suffering of Bruderhähne (Layer Cockerels) in Poland
Published on 3rd July 2023
For the first time, the appalling living conditions of German layer cockerels (Bruderhähne) in Poland have been exposed. Research leaked to Animal Society reveals that the animals lead short, miserable lives in a new branch of factory farming, it should be noted. ZDF WISO reported on this exclusively in advance on 3rd July 2022.
Since 2022, it has been illegal in Germany to kill the male laying chickens immediately after hatching. Despite the availability of ethical alternatives such as in-ovo sexing, millions of these cockerels have continued to be hatched and slaughtered for their meat in so-called ‘cockerel rearing’ schemes, many of them in Poland.
The following video captures the living conditions of these cockerels throughout their short lives. The audio is currently only available in German.
This is How Male Chicks are Raised in Layer Cockerel Rearing Facilities…
Within only short time following the ban on the culling of chicks in Germany, a complex system of industrial factory farming has emerged, spanning across various European countries:
The chicks are transported over long distances from Belgium to Poland, as they are the offspring and brothers of KAT-certified laying hens that are destined for the German market. Under the KAT certification scheme, male chicks from foreign hatcheries that are sold to Germany may not be killed either.
If they are not eliminated through in-ovo sex determination before hatching, male chicks from Belgian and Dutch hatcheries are sent to Poland for rearing.
Some of the birds do not survive this journey, or die of exhaustion immediately upon arrival.
The term ‘layer cockerel rearing’ is misleading, giving the false impression that male chicks are given the opportunity to live and enjoy life outside of the egg industry. In reality, they are killed after just a few weeks spent living in dark, cramped sheds before being slaughtered for meat.
This is even more shocking due to the lack of demand for cockerel meat in Europe. It is believed, that the meat form these males is instead exported to African and Asian countries.
Although KAT certification is intended to ensure that the chickens live in ‘better’ conditions, even under this initiative, keeping 20 animals per square metre is permitted – less than the size of one A4 sheet of paper per chicken.
It is common to find sick, injured and dead animals within these crowded sheds. Inflammation of the eyes and cloaca, weak animals suffering in silence, listless and ruffled, with raw bald patches of featherless skin. Chickens housed in these facilities are also often treated harshly and cruelly by workers.
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Straw is only spread on the floor before the new batch of male chicks arrives. This means that, after a short time, the floor becomes heavily soiled with faeces. Overtime, large lumps of faeces build up on the feet of some animals, restricting their freedom of movement and causing painful inflammation.
When the animals are being rounded up for transport to the abattoir, they are handled roughly and crammed into the cramped transport crates.
‘Cockerel rearing’ conjures up a different picture: many of the labels that advertise the rearing or even ‘rescue’ of male chicks show cockerels in a green meadow, often alongside a hen and chicks. As we can see, this does not reflect reality. Consumers are presented with a completely misleading picture.
If you compare the lives of ‘Bruderhähne’ with a fulfilling life for chickens and images of healthy, happy animals, it quickly becomes clear that what these cockerels go through in their short lives does not reflect the image conveyed to consumers.
Until now, reports on the rearing of layer cockerels in Poland have been characterised by rumours and speculation, with claims that the conditions there were shocking. For the first time, it has now been possible to share the truth of how these layer cockerels are housed. It is clear from this investigation that the conditions in Poland are just as appalling as in any other European factory farm. The question therefore remains why animals are living in these conditions at all, only to be killed a short time later.
Fundamentally, animals in such facilities do not lead a good or fulfilling life. If life in factory farming were compared with the interests and needs of chickens, it quickly becomes clear that the animals are suffering. And this is despite the fact that there are alternatives which can prevent both the cruel killing of chicks and the cruelty shown in cockerels rearing.
Animal Society is campaigning for an EU-wide ban on the killing of chicks. The German ban was an important step for animal welfare and must be extended to all EU countries. There is no question about it: the cruel killing of chicks is not an option. However, Animal Society also takes a clear stance against the rearing of male chicks.
After all, it merely postpones the killing of the chicks by a few weeks. Before that, the animals endure long journeys and a bleak, short life full of stress, illness and cramped conditions. There are alternatives to killing chicks and rearing male chicks, the most ethical among them being plant-based egg alternatives.
In-ovo sexing while the chick is developing within the egg would also make it possible to prevent avoidable suffering directly. An EU-wide ban would make it easier to promote these alternatives and put an end to both the unnecessary culling of chicks and the suffering of layer cockerels raised for meat.
Contact for further questions about this report:
carlotta.heinemann@animalsociety.de