Based on an annual estimate of approximately 7,000,000,000, derived from Compassion in World Farming.
19,178,082
per day
799,086
per hour
13,318
per minute
221
per second
583,333,333
per month
4,370,387,701
so far this year (est.)
In the egg industry, male chicks are considered useless since they cannot lay eggs and are not the breed used for meat. They are killed within hours of hatching.
How many male chicks culled are culled at birth each year?
Based on annual estimates, approximately 7,000,000,000 male chicks culled are culled at birth globally each year.
How many male chicks culled are culled at birth per day?
Approximately 19,178,082 male chicks culled are culled at birth per day worldwide, based on an annual estimate of 7,000,000,000.
How many male chicks culled are culled at birth per second?
Approximately 221 male chicks culled are culled at birth per second — equivalent to 13,318 per minute and 799,086 per hour.
Which region accounts for the largest share of male chicks culled culled at birth?
Asia accounts for approximately 40% of global male chicks culled culled at birth.
Context Beyond the Numbers
Approximately 7 billion male chicks are killed within hours of hatching each year because they cannot lay eggs and are not bred for meat production.
Maceration, in which live chicks are ground in high-speed machines, is considered an acceptable killing method by industry standards in many countries.
Free-range, cage-free, and organic egg production systems all use the same hatcheries and therefore all involve male chick culling.
Germany became the first country to ban chick culling in 2022, followed by France in 2023, using in-ovo sexing technology to identify male eggs before hatching.
The egg industry has historically chosen to kill male chicks rather than raise them because layer breed males grow too slowly to be economically viable for meat.
Consumer awareness of male chick culling remains low, despite the practice being standard across the global egg industry.