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Protesters who chained themselves to machinery inside a Bendigo hatchery last week are asking the public to cover the cost of raising the chicks they saved.
About 150 male chicks destined to be “shredded” were taken from the Specialist Breeders Australia hatchery on the Midland Highway last Thursday.
A crowdfunding page was set up on Monday to cover the cost of feeding and housing the birds. The page calls for $10,000 in donations and has already achieved one-fifth of its target.
The fundraising campaign page also asked consumers to stop eating eggs.
“By reducing the demand for eggs, you are directly helping to stop the killing of baby boys and the slavery and slaughter of millions of hens,” it said.
Aussie Farms, the group to which many of the protesters belonged, has also shared footage taken during last Thursday’s operation on their Facebook page.
The video follows the earlier release of vision showing unwanted male chicks being macerated.
The male birds are considered expendable because they do not lay eggs and their flesh is not sold for commercial consumption.
In a statement released after the protest, SBA boss Richard Rayner said his company was seeking a more humane way of “eliminating” young roosters, but alternatives were not yet commercially viable.