The HSUS tackles issues such as the cruel confinement of animals, which places birds in spaces so small that they cannot spread their wings. The organization also denounces the practice of force-feeding to produce products such as foie gras.
The HSUS also speaks out against the destruction of baby male chicks through maceration and suffocation. Because the egg and poultry industry cannot use male chickens, it regularly destroys hundreds of millions of male chickens each year, moments after they hatch, by either grinding conscious baby chickens in industrial meat grinders or throwing the babies into thrash bags to suffocate. These practices are so horrific that the online videos have caused widespread public outcry against the brutal murder of male chicks just hatched.
Recently, the HSUS applauded the efforts of one large food manufacturing company for publicly decrying the act of grinding baby chickens en mass and pledging to develop technology to determine the sex of a chicken embryo long before it hatches. The company also announced it was seeking plant-based egg alternatives for use in some of its food products. The HSUS notes that it hopes other large food manufacturers will follow suit. Much more needs to be done as just one chick killed in this cruel and outrageous manner is one chick too many!