Frequently Asked Questions - Other

The HSA runs animal welfare training courses and gives lectures for the livestock industry, smallholders and hobby farmers, enforcement agencies, veterinarians, scientists, students, and other interested groups. Courses can be adapted to suit specific training needs and may be delivered at any suitable venue in the UK or abroad. See the Training & Education section of the HSA website for more information. 

On a commercial scale, chickens are farmed either for their meat (broilers or meat chickens) or their eggs (laying hens). In many layer hatcheries, male chicks are killed when newly hatched as they will not produce eggs and cannot be viably farmed for meat. In both layer and broiler hatcheries, chicks may need to be killed for welfare reasons if they are sick or deformed. There are three methods for killing young chicks permitted under EU and UK legislation:

Instantaneous Mechanical Destruction: When using IMD, live chicks enter a mechanical apparatus and are killed immediately. Although the method may sound unpleasant, IMD is a humane and effective method of killing day-old chicks when the equipment is used, managed, and maintained correctly. For more information, please see:

• The HSA technical note 9 (TN9):  Instantaneous Mechanical Destruction (IMD)
• Code of Practice for the Killing of Chicks in Hatcheries

Gas killing: Gas killing works by depriving the brain of oxygen. One method recommended by the HSA for killing newly-hatched chicks is to immerse them in a gas mixture of at least 95% argon and <5% air (this will lead to ≤1% oxygen). This avoids the use of carbon dioxide (CO₂), which – although legal in concentrations up to 40% – is acidic and can be aversive in concentrations above 25%. For more information, please see:

• Gas Killing of Chicks in Hatcheries (technical note 14)

Dislocation of the neck (cervical dislocation): This method is only permitted for emergency killing and should never be used routinely.