 Between 2007 and 2010 a total of about 90 billion eggs were produced per year.In 2008, 9.08 billion chickens were slaughtered in the United States according to United States Department of Agriculture data.The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends cervical dislocation and asphyxiation by carbon dioxide as the best options, but has recently amended their guidelines to include maceration, putting non-anesthetized chicks through a grinder.