How so? What do you think breeders who sell hens do with male chicks?

Some places sex the eggs. Germany, France, Switzerland and many other places completely do without so it is hardly mandatory.

Other places use male chickens for meat, despite them being sub-optimal.

I think the grinding of male chicks is an interesting case because it's actually pretty low on the suffering and distress spectrum, but high on the visceral reaction scale

> grinding of male chicks is an interesting case because it's actually pretty low on the suffering and distress spectrum, but high on the visceral reaction scale

And nothing requires they be ground alive versus e.g. introduced into a nitrogen atmosphere and then minced. (Or simply neutered, raised and sold as capon.)

or feed them live to an alligator farm or zoo