Newborn chicks are alive, alert, and aware. A newborn chick breaks out of his shell onto a hard plastic tray inside a crowded hatchery. His feathers are still wet when cold air dries them fast. Conveyor belts vibrate under his feet while loud machines shake the room. Hands grab him within hours of birth and drop him onto moving belts where bodies stack and tumble. Male chicks are unwanted in the egg industry because they cannot lay eggs. Workers separate them. Many are thrown straight…
