Mandate in-ovo sexing machines at hatcheries

By Jon Hochschartner

In recent years, as an animal activist, I’ve become increasingly interested in how technological development can reduce nonhuman suffering and premature death. For instance, I’ve spent a significant amount of time picketing my elected officials, in the hopes they will support public funding for cultivated-meat research. For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without slaughter.

I have a short attention span, and as a result, I’m often tempted to focus my attention elsewhere. One such area of interest is the emerging technology of in-ovo sexing. Basically, there are now machines which can determine whether a chicken egg will hatch a male or female bird. For readers unfamiliar with the egg industry, male chicks provide no economic value, and thus are frequently ground up alive.

While I’m opposed to the egg industry as a whole, these in-ovo sexing machines could prevent a mind-boggling amount of unnecessary cruelty. According to the Des Moines Register, companies in the United States alone kill approximately 350 million male chicks for this reason every year. Given these figures, making the perfect the enemy of the good feels irresponsible to me. Reform can be worthwhile.

Let’s put those 350 million chicks in greater context, by comparing their number to some of those creatures exploited in areas where abolitionist-minded campaigners more frequently focus their work. For instance, the United States Department of Agriculture estimates about 1.3 million mink were killed for their fur in 2022. Admittedly, other species are farmed for fur, but mink appear to be most popular.

Similarly, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals estimates approximately 110 million creatures are used as test subjects in our country annually. Of course, every act of nonhuman exploitation is abominable, but given present circumstances, some kind of triage is necessary. Mandating installation of these machines at every egg hatchery in America would do an incredible degree of good.

Besides, using strict definitions, the animal-rights critique of welfarism generally centers on the latter’s emphasis on nonhuman treatment, as opposed to use. These machines wouldn’t just improve the treatment of 350 million chicks; they would remove the birds from human use entirely. That’s a goal very much worth pursuing, in my view. Still, I think activists not forgetting their ultimate aims is also important.

Some might argue egg hatcheries will adopt these machines on their own. Perhaps that’s true. Personally, I don’t underestimate the willingness of many corporations to sacrifice basic decency for small potential savings. But if activists could accelerate the spread of these machines by a few decades, or even a few years, that would spare an astronomic number of sentient beings from a gruesome fate.

The first such machine was installed at an American hatchery this past December, according to WATTPoultry. The Cheggy equipment, developed by Agri Advanced Technologies, can integrate into existing production lines and sort 25,000 eggs an hour. The machine takes up less than 322 square feet of space and all its waste is recyclable. Other companies have created equipment similar to the Cheggy.

I plan to continue my focus on advocating for a massive infusion of public funding into cultivated-meat research, something grassroots activists haven’t dedicated much energy toward. However, requiring every hatchery in the country to install in-ovo sexing machines is another campaign which could use some attention. The technology will prevent the suffering and premature death of countless animals.

Jon Hochschartner lives in Connecticut. He is the author of a number of books, including The Animals’ Freedom Fighter: A Biography of Ronnie Lee, Founder of the Animal Liberation Front. Visit his blog at SlaughterFreeAmerica.Substack.com.