The Hidden Cost of the Chicken and the Egg

Why Evermore will be the first pet food company in the U.S. to eliminate male chick culling from our supply chain.

Ingram Family Farm Eggs

The Farm Down the Road

I buy my eggs at a farm just around the corner from my house. The hens there are as free-range as they come. In fact, they might be a little too free-range, as they frequently invite passing drivers to ponder “really, why is that chicken crossing the road?” Apart from the occasional vehicular tragedy or lucky fox, these chickens live blessed lives and appear to be the very picture of perfect animal welfare.

Or perhaps they are not. Hidden behind this idyll, even the best-practice farms in the country likely source their hens as chicks from hatcheries that practice male chick culling. Larger suppliers, with two exceptions, certainly do. In the U.S. egg industry, chickens destined to be egg layers and those raised as broilers are two entirely different breeds. This specialization renders the male chicks hatched for the egg supply chain useless. Consequently, an estimated 300 million chicks are killed annually immediately upon hatching.

A Shocking Truth

This past October, I spoke at the Feed Real Summit in San Diego. I delivered an hour-long talk on marketing claims and ingredient quality. A significant portion of the presentation focused on animal welfare and the rampant “humane-washing” practiced by many companies. When discussing poultry, eggs were a major part of the conversation. I always strive to remain matter-of-fact and avoid sensationalism or manufactured guilt. Unfortunately, the realities of industrialized farming practices are often shocking on their own.

Nothing landed harder than the discussion of male chick culling. There were audible gasps throughout the room. These attendees were not alone in their surprise. According to a 2024 survey conducted by Innovate Animal Ag, only 10.5% of consumers are aware of the practice. A plurality of 47.5% believe these chicks are simply raised for meat. As for the 9% of respondents who believe that the males also lay eggs… I have questions. Despite the lack of awareness, 73% of consumers agree that the egg industry should find an alternative, and 71% expressed a willingness to pay more for one.

The Solution is Here

The good news is that there is already a game-changing alternative: in-ovo sexing technology. Through various methods, it is now possible to determine the sex of a developing embryo. This allows hatcheries to remove the male eggs before the developing chick can perceive pain. These diverted eggs are not wasted; instead, they can be repurposed for animal feed, laboratory research, or various industrial uses. It is a viable enough method to the point where four European countries have already outlawed the routine culling of male chicks: Germany, France, Austria, and Luxembourg. Italy is en route to follow suit. And it’s something that we at Evermore have been waiting to arrive at our shores for years.

Finally that wait is over. This past spring, I received a phone call from Nancy Roulston, the ASPCA®’s Senior Director of Corporate Policy and Animal Science. She called with exciting news: an egg company was finally practicing in-ovo sexing in the United States, and and would soon be launching their eggs produced using this more humane method. Much to our mutual delight, the supplier in question was NestFresh, our already dedicated vendor of seven years. Now, by the end of this year, Evermore will complete its transition to 100% in-ovo sexed eggs. This commitment makes us the first pet food company (and likely the first CPG brand in any food category) to completely eliminate male chick culling from our supply chain.

How it Works

The technology they’ve implemented is a system known as “Cheggy,“ which utilizes non-invasive hyperspectral imaging. This works by looking through the eggshell to identify the color of the embryo’s feathers, as males and females in brown-layer breeds have distinct color markers. It is contactless and does not require piercing the shell. The process is incredibly efficient, allowing the hatchery to scan 25,000 eggs per hour with over 99% accuracy.

The Price of Eggs

As with most industrial technologies, Cheggy machines are incredibly expensive, but whether there is an upfront investment or machinery lease program, the added input costs are very modest over time. Data from the European market shows that in-ovo sexing adds less than a penny per egg to the producer’s costs. This translates to a price increase of just 1 to 3 cents per egg, or 12 to 36 cents per dozen on the shelves. By comparison, consumers in the U.S. market, where there are fewer regulatory price controls, typically pay much higher premiums for high-welfare products; cage-free eggs, for example, command an average of an extra dollar per dozen.

Demand Creates Change

Ultimately, the potential for in-ovo sexing to drastically reduce, or hopefully end, the practice of male chick culling rests firmly on the shoulders of the U.S. consumer. While this may seem like an uphill battle in a landscape where the price of eggs has become shorthand for the state of the economy, the historical adoption of cage-free eggs provides both hope and a roadmap. In 2010, cage-free eggs made up only 4% of production. With increased consumer awareness of battery cages, the demand for a more humane alternative skyrocketed. Legislation followed suit and now 11 states have cage-free laws. Today nearly 39% of U.S. egg production is cage-free.

Perfection is a Process

Animal welfare is a moving target, both for our company and for society at large. At Evermore, we operate with the understanding that there is always room for improvement. Every sourcing decision we make serves not only the pets we feed, but also the animals that sustain them. After years of waiting for the technology to land on our shores, we are so proud that by the end of this year we will have fully transitioned to Humanely Hatched™ eggs.

P.S.

If you’re looking to make this switch for your own kitchen, keep an eye out for NestFresh Humanely Hatched™ eggs at your local grocer. You can also follow the broader progress of this technology and see which other brands are stepping up on the ASPCA’s educational resource page on the the egg industry’s transition to in-ovo sexing and actions you can take to help animals.

P.P.S.

If you’re part of the media landscape, check out our press release, media kits available on request.