Caged hens: at the bottom of the pecking order

Battery caged hens are paying the ultimate price for the sake of cheap egg production in New Zealand but it doesnt have to be that way. Opinion polls of New Zealand consumers have consistently shown that nearly eight out of ten New Zealanders would be prepared to pay more for their eggs if battery cages were banned . SAFE has led the push to end the suffering of caged hens for over 25 years and were making progress. In 1986, when the campaign against battery cages started, free range options were not even available in supermarkets. Today theres widespread public support for a move away from cage systems. There are even some New Zealand supermarkets that do not stock any cage eggs at all. But despite public opinion, successive Governments have continued to resist phasing out cage systems. SAFE believes battery hen farming is one of the worst examples of legalised animal abuse in New Zealand. To create change for hens, its up to all of us to make compassionate choices in our daily lives.

and even small animals. Ranging wide keeps their legs and feet strong. For safety, they roost at night high in trees. They also develop a flock pecking order, where the dominant hen stops producing eggs and becomes the watch-dog for the flock to safely hatch their chicks. Any battery farm hens that are fortunate enough to be released will soon revert to their natural behaviours.

Whats life like for a battery hen?

A battery hen spends her entire life in a large, windowless, temperature-controlled shed. The sheds contain many rows of cages, often tiered many cages high. Each hen has less than an A4 page of space (thats the equivalent of the front cover youre reading now). The hen stands on a sloping mesh floor. This is uncomfortable to stand on, and can cause pain and damage to the hens feet. One shed may contain as many as 50,000 caged hens. In highly automated sheds, conveyors carry food, waste and eggs along the rows. Feeding and climate are manipulated for maximum egg production. The sheds are noisy and can smell strongly of the hens waste and ammonia. The lighting in the sheds is kept dim to minimise aggression. Antibiotics and other drugs may be added to the hens food to combat diseases that can spread rapidly in the crowded environment. When a hens egg production drops below a profitable level, generally after 12-18 months, she is removed from her cage and transported to slaughter. She may receive rough handling during catching and transportation resulting in broken bones as well as other trauma. Spent hens are commonly discarded in landfills or composted.

BATTERY HEN FACTS

In New Zealand there are more than 3 million egg-laying hens. Around 88% of the 1 billion eggs laid and consumed in New Zealand are from cage systems. Opinion polls of New Zealand consumers have consistently shown that nearly eight out of ten New Zealanders would be prepared to pay more for their eggs if battery cages were banned ii. A chickens natural life span is typically five to seven years, but chickens can live as long as 20 years.iii A battery hen lives for about 16-18 months. In the wild, a hen lays 12-20 eggs a year. The chicken industry has selectively bred domestic hens to lay nearly 300 eggs a year. Male chicks are not required by the egg industry. About 3 million one-day-old male chicks are killed each year by gassing and a process called instantaneous fragmentation or maceration, which shreds them alive.iv

What health and welfare problems does a battery hen suffer?

Research has shown that battery hens still retain most of their natural instincts.v Being in such close confinement is a continual source of stress for the hen. Her natural instinct to scratch for food, stretch and flap her wings, dust-bathe, perch, build nests and fly is constantly frustrated. A hen in

What is the natural way for a hen to live?

Hens in the wild or ranging free can have territories of up to a hectare. They will range that area looking for a wide variety of foods - including seeds and grains, greens and fruits, insects,

a battery cage has little room to turn around and can move only a few steps. She must constantly push against her cage mates to move. She risks damage to her feathers and skin if she attempts to stretch or flap her wings.vi Because of their breeding and the conditions they are kept in, battery hens tend to behave aggressively, and peck excessively at themselves and each other. Cannibalism is greatly increased. Many egg producers remove part of the hens beaks (debeaking) to minimise damage from pecking and cannibalism. The chicks undergo this mutilation before they are 10 days old. This process may be painful and can result in permanent feeding problems. The health of a battery hen is frequently poor. Stress, frustration, disease, severe or total feather loss,vii brittle bones and painful feet weakened from lack of movement, and exhaustion are common. viii

Whats wrong with colony cages?

Colony cages contain up to 60 hens in one cage. This means there are 13 hens crowded into every per square metre. Each colony cage contains perches, a single nest box, and a scratching area. However such cages offer no worthwhile welfare benefits to the hens. Research shows the extra enrichments are insufficient to prevent frustration, aggression, brittle bones, feather loss and ill-health. ix The hens still cannot walk about, wing-flap, or turn around without difficulty. The severe restriction of the he ns ability to exercise will result in continued frustration, bone weakness, and osteoporosis - clear indicators of poor welfare. Colony cages are still kept inside semi-dark sheds. The hens will never enjoy sunshine or the ability to live as nature intended. Typically, colony cages contain a single nest box for up to 60 birds. Competition for the nest box is likely to increase aggression levels as hens are unable to remain in the nest as long as they would like. Colony cages contain perches that are placed seven centimetres above the floor level, denying hens the ability to fulfil their natural perching and stretching needs. The floor will still be an uncomfortable sloping wire floor.

Whats the price of eggs got to do with it?

Reasons commonly given to defend caged hen farming include cheaper eggs, easy management, and more efficient production. But it is the hens that are paying the ultimate price. Factory farmers also sometimes argue that if the hens were mistreated, they wouldnt be laying eggs. However egg-laying is simply a biological function for a hen that is receiving sufficient food, water and light. Housing conditions do not influence egglaying.

Isnt it against the law?

Under this countrys Animal Welfare Act (AWA), hens are entitled to what has been defined as the five animal freedoms: freedom from hunger and thirst; from physical discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; from fear and distress; and freedom to display common natural patterns of behaviour. The battery cage or colony cage (see below) do not provide many of these legally required freedoms. The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) announced in 2012 that conventional battery hen cages must be phased out by 2022. Another type of battery cage called a colony cage will be introduced as replacement. Along with other animal welfare groups, SAFE believes colony battery cages are not an acceptable alternative to existing battery hen cages. These new modified cages will still breach the law, as they do not allow hens to express their normal behaviours.

What are the alternatives to caged hen farming?

There are a number of alternatives to battery hen farming. However its important to realise these are not without welfare issues. Barn systems Barn systems house hens indoors, typically in very large sheds with littercovered floors, with perches and nest boxes provided. In theory, barn hens are free to roam around and have more opportunity for activity than when in battery cages. However they are not provided with access to the outdoors, with natural air and light. The barns are often overcrowded, up to 15,000 hens in a shed (that is seven hens per square metre). Many welfare problems remain. For example, due to close confinement and frustration, most birds in barn systems are debeaked to avoid aggressive pecking.

Free range farming The most desirable alternative to battery cages for egg production is free range egg farming (which includes organic egg production systems). In free range systems, indoor shelter is provided where a hen can roost, nest, and hide from predators; and she is free to roam and scratch for food outdoors during the daytime. Free range hens are usually relatively disease free and, when given enough space, show little aggression. With proper management, free range farming is environmentally compatible. But there are downsides. The Code of Welfare for layer hens allows up to 9 free range hens per square metre indoors, and an outside stocking density of 2,500 hens per hectare. On large farms, less than half the hens may actually venture outside their housing, due to dominant hens blocking the doors. The lives of free range hens are as short as caged and barn hens. After 1618 months of egg-laying they slaughtered. Egg labelling Egg producers are not required by law to label their eggs to show how they were produced. Often used terms like barn eggs, cage free and farm fresh can be misleading and confusing to shoppers, and the lack of clear standards for free range eggs means that the term does not always guarantee good hen welfare.

References
Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty. (2002). Higher egg prices preferred to battery cage cruelty. RSPCA media release, 20 May.
i

Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty. (2002). Higher egg prices preferred to battery cage cruelty. RSPCA media release, 20 May.
ii

Friends of Animals. (n.d.). [Vegetarianism program]. Available from http://www.friendsofanimals.org/veg/animals.html.

iii

Beston, A. (2001). Chick-shredding ordeal shocks unprepared staff. New Zealand Herald, 7 March, p. A5.
iv

Council of Europe. (1995). Biological characteristics of the domestic fowl. Recommendation concerning domestic fowl (Gallus gallus).
v

Temple, W. & Foster, T.M. (1993). The welfare status of eggproduction in New Zealand. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, vol. 53, pp. 215-217.
vi vii

Temple & Foster, op. cit.

Lymbery, P. (1997). Beyond the Battery A Welfare Charter for Laying Hens. Compassion in World Farming.
viii ix

Lymbery, op. cit.

Studer, H. (2001). How Switzerland got rid of battery cages. Zurich: Pro Tier International.
x

Anon. (2003). Netherlands: Supermarkets to ban battery eggs from 2004. NAMNEWS, 9 June. Available from http://www.kamcity.com/ namnews/asp/newsarticle.asp?newsid=14266.
xi

International Egg Commission. (2004). Austria passes animal welfare law. IEC monthly newsletter, July. Available from http://www. internationalegg.com/php/news.php.
xii xiii

Lymbery, P. (2002). Laid bareThe case against enriched cages in

Europe. Petersfield, Hampshire: Compassion in World Farming Trust.

Which countries are leading the way? The plight of battery hens has received recognition internationally and several countries have taken steps to ban battery cages: Switzerland implemented a ten-year phase out of battery farming, which was achieved in 1992. x All Dutch xi, Austrian xii and most Belgian supermarkets have stopped selling cage eggs. All big German supermarket chains are now cage-free. In Austria battery cages were banned in 2009 and colony cages will be banned in 2020. In the European Union conventional battery cages were banned in January 2012. Colony cages are still allowed. In addition, eggs from caged birds must be labelled as such throughout the European Union. xiii

Together we can help stop battery farming

The actions of ordinary New Zealanders can stop battery farming. You can make a difference for each of the 3 million hens presently suffering in battery cages. Take action! Find out more about factory farming issues in New Zealand at stopfactoryfarming.org.nz. Boycott cage eggs Take a stand when you shop! Dont buy eggs from caged hens. Spread the word Encourage your family, friends and colleagues to boycott battery eggs. Check the products you buy and eat Check the ingredients of the products you buy. Unless otherwise stated, if products contain eggs they are most likely from caged hens. Avoid these products and send an email to let the manufacturer know why. Ask your local cafs and restaurants to stop using battery eggs. Lobby your local supermarkets Supermarkets have the power to end battery hen farming if they choose by not stocking cage eggs, and some New Zealand supermarkets have already done so. They also have a responsibility to clearly label cartons and shelves. Write to your local supermarket manager asking them to work towards a phase-out of cage eggs and other factory-farmed products Lobby your MP and others Our politicians are especially sensitive to the concerns of their constituents. Write to your MP asking what their stance is on battery hen farming. Eat alternatives to eggs Try alternatives to eggs, like tofu and other delicious soy foods, and use egg substitutes in baking. Check out the delicious recipes at GoVeg.org.nz. Please donate today Your contribution is vital to stop factory farming in New Zealand. Please give generously at safe.org.nz. Get involved! Become involved in SAFE activities and social events in your area for information, go to safe.org.nz.

About SAFE
SAFEs aim is to make significant improvements in the lives of animals by raising awareness, challenging cruel practices, changing attitudes and fostering compassion so that they are no longer exploited or abused. Visit safe.org.nz to learn more about SAFEs work. For more information, contact: info@safe.org.nz / safe.org.nz