Excess Cockerels in the Context of Legal Regulations, Animal Welfare and the Bioeconomy

The global poultry industry faces a critical ethical and bioeconomic challenge regarding the annual culling of 6–7 billion day-old male layer chicks, which lack commercial value for mass meat production. This study critically evaluates European and global regulatory frameworks alongside the practical, economic, and ethical viability of alternative management strategies. While legislative bans in nations like Germany and France push for in ovo sexing technologies, and several systems are already operational across Europe, these methods currently impose substantial financial burdens and operational constraints that hinder their global commercial implementation. Alternative approaches, including rearing light-type cockerels or caponisation, frequently face significant sustainability challenges due to poor feed conversion ratios, prolonged production cycles, and inherent animal welfare concerns. Consequently, the immediate, worldwide integration of these technological alternatives remains challenging. This paper offers a pragmatic, bioeconomically stable recommendation: while in ovo systems continue to expand towards genuine high-throughput global viability, a sustainable approach—manual post-hatch sorting followed by immediate culling using methods permitted under current animal welfare legislation—may represent a transitional management option in jurisdictions where commercially viable in ovo sexing technologies are not yet available. Managed strictly as Category 3 animal by-products under Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009, the resulting material could potentially be directed to biogas plants to recover renewable energy. When implemented in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009, such an approach may provide a legally compliant pathway for recovering renewable energy while remaining consistent with current veterinary and environmental regulations.