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Cruelty to Baby Birds inside “Humane” Bell & Evans Hatchery

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In 2013, our investigator worked inside a chicken hatchery owned by Bell & Evans, a company that prides itself on its so-called “humane animal welfare.”

Our undercover video, however, exposes the harsh realities forced upon these baby birds on their very first day of life as they emerge from their shells, destined to be raised for their meat.

According to Bell & Evans’ website, its animal welfare standard “insures [sic] all of our chickens are humanely raised and compassionately handled, in a minimal-stress environment, throughout their lives.”  A video posted on the company’s site further explains that in its hatcheries, the newly-hatched “peeps” are “carefully sorted from their shells,” then counted and “placed” in baskets headed for their new “home.”

“Our animal welfare standard insures [sic] all of our chickens are humanely raised and compassionately handled, in a minimal-stress environment, throughout their lives.”

Bell & Evans website

Hatchery Cruelty Investigation

Sadly, what our investigator witnessed and documented tells a different story.

Inside this Bell & Evans facility, where an estimated 20 million baby birds are hatched each year, our video shows chicks being treated like mere inanimate objects:

  • Baby birds who are sick, injured or otherwise deemed unfit for processing being dumped into a grinder while fully conscious
  • Hours-old chicks jostled from machine to machine in a highly mechanized process
  • Chicks with bloody, open wounds or other apparent injuries, deformities or illnesses
  • Dead chicks, who did not survive this harsh process, left in baskets with live birds

Watch our video and you decide – does this look humane or compassionate to you?

No matter how it may be marketed to consumers, animal cruelty is standard practice in the chicken industry.

More than eight billion birds are raised and killed for food each year in the U.S. – and with virtually no legal protections whatsoever, their short lives are filled with misery. The most effective way each of us can help end this abuse is to simply leave chickens, and all animals, off our plates.

Act Now

Bell & Evans Hatchery Cruelty Investigation – Take Action, Choose Compassion

Sadly, animal abuse is standard practice in the meat, egg and dairy industries. The most effective way we can take a stand against such cruelty is simply to leave animals off our plates.

Choosing compassion is as easy as choosing plant-based alternatives to your favorite foods. Grocery stores everywhere are stocking up on meat-, dairy- and egg-free options to keep up with the growing demand. Here’s a list of some of our favorite protein-packed plant-based chicken products:

Exposing Truth

Animal Outlook investigators go undercover inside factory farms and slaughterhouses to expose the painful realities of where our food comes from.

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You can help us continue this important work on behalf of billions of farmed animals by making a donation today.
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Thank our brave investigators

Our investigators are true heroes in every sense of the word — yet because of the nature of their jobs, they must keep their names and faces away from the spotlight. You can send a message to our investigators, letting them know how much you appreciate their painstaking work, bravery, and dedication to building a kinder world:
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