recommendingdebeaking“sometimebetween 5 and 10 days
ofage,”becausethereislessstressonthechicksatthistime
thaniftheoperationisdoneearlier,andinaddition“itisa
goodwayofdecreasingtheriskofearlymortality.”^28 When
thehens aremovedfrom thegrowing houseto the laying
facilitybetweentwelveandeighteenweeksofagetheyare
often debeaked again.^29
The sufferingsof laying chickens begin early in life. The
newlyhatchedchicksaresortedintomalesandfemalesbya
“chick-puller.” Sincethe male chickshave no commercial
value,theyarediscarded.Somecompaniesgasthelittlebirds,
but often they are
dumpedalive intoa plastic sack and allowedto suffocate
under theweight ofother chicksdumpedon top of them.
Othersaregroundup,whilestillalive,tobeturnedintofeed
for their sisters. At least 160 million birds are gassed,
suffocated,ordiethis wayeveryyearintheUnitedStates
alone.^30 Just how many suffer each particular fate is
impossibletotell,becausenorecordsarekept:thegrowers
thinkofgettingridofmalechicksaswethinkofputtingout
the trash.
Lifeforthefemalelayingbirdsislonger,butthisisscarcelya
benefit.Pullets(astheyoungerbirdsnotyetreadytolayare
called)usedtoberearedoutdoors,inthebeliefthatthismade
themstrongerlayingbirds,betterabletowithstandlifeinthe
cage.Nowtheyhavebeenmovedinside,andinmanycases
areplacedincagesalmostfrombirth,sincewithtiersofcages
more birds can be accommodated in each shed and the
overheadperbirdiscorrespondinglylower.Sincethebirds
growrapidly,however,theyhavetobemovedtolargercages
and thisisa disadvantage,since“mortalitymaybe a little