Live cockerels are an unwanted by-product of the egg production industry. On the day of hatching, chicks are sexed, the females are sent on for rearing as layers and the males are disposed of. The numbers killed are vast and methods of killing and standards of humaneness vary considerably around the world. In 1989 the Humane Slaughter Association, with the cooperation of the industry, carried out a survey of practices at UK hatcheries and was asked subsequently to produce a code of practice on humane disposal.