John Shiels
From a small village in Northern Ireland and have been passionate about agriculture from a young age, spending much of my time gaining experience on local farms. I went on to study Food Technology at university, which provided a strong foundation in the science and systems behind food production. During my first-year placement, I began working in a hatchery within the poultry industry — an experience that sparked a lasting interest and set the direction for my career.
Today, I work across multiple stages of the poultry sector, from hatcheries and broiler production to birds in lay. This broad perspective has deepened my understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Through my Nuffield Farming Scholarship, I aim to engage with industry leaders, explore innovative approaches, and contribute to a sustainable and progressive future for poultry farming.
The male layer chick, unwanted or not? An ethical, financial and food security issue for the UK.
BEMB Trust
Study Overview
Ethical and Practical Considerations for Male Chick Euthanasia in the Layer Industry
In global poultry production, chickens fall into 2 distinct types, broiler chickens that produce meat (and we eat both male and female birds) and layer birds that produce eggs.
In the UK and wider layer industry, male chicks are euthanised soon as they hatch out in the hatchery, as they are unable to lay eggs. While these dead, male layer chicks are utilised as food for reptiles, birds of prey, and zoological institutions, such euthanasia of hours old chicks presents an ethical dilemma?
The practice of euthanising day-old male layer chicks is increasingly at odds with public expectations around good animal welfare. As a result, countries like Germany and the Netherlands have already implemented bans on this practice. However, these bans have introduced new challenges, particularly the need to find viable and ethical markets for male chicks that were previously culled. Like issues faced in the dairy industry with surplus bull calves, male layer chicks are not efficient to raise for meat due to their genetics being tailored toward egg production rather than muscle growth.