Heritage Breed Chickens Offer a Humane Alternative to Industrial Poultry Culling

Field report

Traditional dual-purpose breeds produce both eggs and meat, eliminating the need to destroy billions of unwanted male chicks.

Katherine Martinko is an expert in sustainable living. She holds a degree in English Literature and History from the University of Toronto.

This is understandably troubling for many people, and various attempts to solve the conundrum have been proposed over the years. Mainly these revolve around trying to identify a chick's sex as early as possible so as to discard it prior to development or hatching.

A growing movement of small-scale farmers, however, takes a different approach entirely by turning to heritage dual-purpose breeds — chickens that lay a respectable number of eggs while also growing large enough for the table. The Rhode Island Red, the Sussex, and the Plymouth Rock are among the old-fashioned breeds making a comeback on diversified farms. Hens lay 200 or more eggs a year, while roosters reach a dressable weight in 16 to 20 weeks. The meat is firmer and more flavorful than supermarket chicken, with a texture that reflects a life spent scratching outdoors for insects and grubs.

Dr. Anna Harnish of the Livestock Conservancy and a champion of heritage breeds spoke to the BBC. "Farmers who switch to dual-purpose breeds get a viable product from every chick that hatches and consumers get a richer-tasting egg from hens that live healthier, more natural lives. The only difference in the farming system is that birds grow more slowly and are harvested at a later age."1

The BBC explains how dual-purpose breeds solve the male chick problem. Industrial layer hens have been bred exclusively for egg production, producing 300 or more eggs per year but with slender bodies yielding little meat. Broiler chickens, by contrast, have been bred for rapid growth and massive breasts but lay very few eggs. Heritage breeds occupy a productive middle ground — robust enough for pasture-raised meat, and steady enough layers for a profitable egg operation.

If dual-purpose hen + dual-purpose rooster = pullet, she lays eggs for 2+ years

If dual-purpose hen + dual-purpose rooster = cockerel, he grows to table weight by 20 weeks

The specific breeding strategies are being shared through networks like the Livestock Conservancy and Slow Food International, since heritage breed farmers plan to license their genetic lines through community seed-sharing cooperatives. There is no single peer-reviewed study on the economics yet. But the animal welfare organization Compassion in World Farming (CIFW) has been following the heritage breed movement closely for three years, visited several farms, and backs the development.

Treehugger spoke with CIFW's Research and Education Team to learn more. They explained that the great advantage of dual-purpose breeds is that they appear to have far fewer welfare issues than either industrial layers or broilers.

"Raising heritage dual-purpose breeds is less intrusive than the current available alternative, in-ovo sexing and the destruction of the eggs containing male embryos," CIFW explained. "Our current support for this approach is in principle, as the next important step is to see whether the hens and the cockerels they produce — who will provide meat for human consumption — can go through a commercial lifespan without any unexpected welfare issues arising."2

Poultry geneticist and heritage breed advocate Dr. Günes Taylor voiced support when queried by a colleague. She wrote, "The concept is theoretically sound. Dual-purpose breeds won't lay as many eggs as industrial hybrids, and the cockerels won't grow as fast as broilers, but every bird has economic value." She added that it's unknown at what scale these operations can become profitable and how consumers will respond to the higher prices. "Be interesting to see the market data," she finished.

It remains unclear when (or if) a comprehensive economic study will be published. The Livestock Conservancy did not respond to Treehugger's requests for comment.

In an ideal world, the industrial livestock production system would be completely overhauled and find a role for both male and female chicks. CIFW said, "The ultimate solution is dual-purpose breed chickens, where males are raised for meat, females lay eggs and go for meat at end of lay. However, the industry will take a long time to transition, so the interim solution is an urgent end to the culling of male chicks."2

The BBC reports that the heritage breed movement is now at an "advanced stage of development" and that farmers are working with processors to "refine the supply chain."1

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63937438

Compassion in World Farming. "Re: Media inquiry about gene editing." Received by Katherine Martinko, 23 Jan. 2023.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63937438

Compassion in World Farming. "Re: Media inquiry about gene editing." Received by Katherine Martinko, 23 Jan. 2023.