BERLIN – The German government plans to ban the practice of killing male chicks after they hatch, which results in the death of around 45 million birds per year in the country.The Cabinet on Wednesday approved legislation that will prohibit the practice from Jan.
1 next year. Government spokeswoman Martina Fietz said that Germany will be the first country in the world to do so.In a second step, the killing of chick embryos in the egg will be prohibited after the sixth day of incubation starting on Jan.
1, 2024.Fietz said the government has invested over 8 million euros ($9.7 million) over recent years to help research into alternative procedures to identify the sex of chicks before they hatch.