Laying Hens

In Australia, 93% of the 10.5 million commercial laying hens are crammed into battery cages. Only 7% are in barns or free range.

What are battery cages?

Battery cages are rows and rows of bare wire cages all joined together, sometimes with several levels, one on top of the other. Thousands or even tens of thousands of hens are crammed into one shed.

The floor of each cage is wire mesh to allow droppings to fall through, but this floor is uncomfortable for the hens' feet. The floor slopes forward so that eggs will roll into a collection area at the front of the cage. Hens stretch their neck through the bars of the cage to reach the food tray at the front. In the process they rub off feathers on the neck and chest.

Legally 3 hens can be kept in a cage measuring only 41.5cm by 41.5cm, and 5 hens can be kept in a cage 50cm square. This is where they live 24 hours a day, until they are packed off to the slaughterhouse after a year of laying.

Why are cages cruel?

In a battery cage, hens can never flap their wings or even walk freely. The wire cages are uncomfortable and can cause injuries. Most of the hens' natural behaviours are prevented, leading to stress and frustration.

Battery cages don't allow the Five Freedoms . The Five Freedoms were drawn up by the Farm Animal Welfare Council, set up the UK government. They are widely accepted as a standard of animal welfare. The Five Freedoms are:

  1. Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.

    Hens in battery cages generally have enough food and water, provided that they can push past cage mates to reach the food tray and water nipple(s), and the automatic equipment doesn't fail.

  2. Freedom from discomfort - by providing a suitable environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

    Battery cages are particularly uncomfortable. Standing constantly on wire can cause damage to the feet and leads to overgrown claws that can break off or become caught. Rubbing against wire can damage the feathers and skin.

    Hens are constantly crowded and pressed against other hens. They don't have enough space to properly carry out "comfort behaviours" like wing flapping and stretching.

  3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

    Because battery hens can't exercise, they develop weak bones (osteoporosis). Their bones break easily, so that by the time they reach the slaugherhouse after only one year of laying, one third of them have at least one broken bone. These fractures are undoubtedly painful.

    Hens (both caged and free range) are debeaked to stop them pecking each other. Up to half of the upper beak and one third of the lower beak is cut off when they are chicks. Nerves reach almost to the tip of the beak, so this mutilation cuts through nerves and is very painful. In addition, when the nerves grow back, they form an abnormal tangled mass (neuroma) which causes long-term pain. For more detailed information, go to Debeaking and feather pecking .

    Egg producers like to call this mutilation "beak trimming" to make it sound like cutting finger nails. In fact, it is more like cutting the tip off your finger.

  4. Freedom to express normal behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.

    Normal behaviour is all but impossible in a battery cage. Apart from not having enough space, the hens also don't have:

    • suitable material to scratch and peck;

    • a nest in which to lay their eggs;

    • material for dustbathing;

    • a perch on which to roost.

    Because hens can't carry out their basic, natural behaviour, they become stressed and frustrated. For more detailed information, go to Behavioural needs of hens .

  5. Freedom from fear and distress - by ensuring conditions which avoid mental suffering.

    Aspects of battery cages already mentioned certainly cause mental suffering, in particular, the frustration of natural behaviour.

Battery cages measure up very poorly against the Five Freedoms.

What is the law protecting hens?

The law doesn't offer much protection to hens, considering that it is legal to keep them in small cages and to cut off part of their beak.

Apart from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act in each state, there is also a Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Domestic Poultry (3rd ed.). It is this Code that sets the legal standards. For example, the PCA Act in SA states that all animals must have exercise, but according to the Code, hens in groups of more than 2 need to be given only 450sqcm of space each, less than a normal sheet of paper. Clearly they can't exercise in this small space.

For more a more detailed critique of animal protection laws in general, go to Animals and the Law .

To see a copy of the SA Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, go to the Australasian Legal Information Institute site.

To download a copy of the Code of Practice, go to the Department of Primary Industries and Energy site.

What are the alternatives to cages?

There are several alternatives to battery cages that are already in use in Australia and overseas (see next section).

Are overseas countries ahead of Australia?

Yes, some countries are. Most recently the European Union banned battery cages in member countries after 2012. No new battery cages may be installed after 2003, and after 2012 all hens must have at least 750sqcm of space, a perch, a nest, and litter to scratch and peck.

Switzerland has banned battery cages since 1992 - all hens there now have nests and perches. In Austria battery cages are banned in the provinces of Wien (1994), Tirol (2001) amd Salzburg (2002).

What has happened in Australia?

In Australia, 93% of commercial laying hens are still in battery cages. However, in 1997 the RSPCA launched "Liberty" eggs in NSW, and later in Victoria. Demand for these barn-laid eggs has increased dramatically since then. The RSPCA also launched a media campaign in 1999 to ban battery cages.

In 1997 the ACT government passed a law to phase out battery cages in the territory within 6 years. A Productivity Commission inquiry into this ban agreed that the change would improve the welfare of hens and would only lead to a price increase for eggs of $2.85 per person per year . However, because the ACT government also wanted to ban the importation of battery eggs, other states had to give their approval, which they refused to do. Therefore, the ACT law can't be implemented.

In 1999 the Tasmanian Minister for Agriculture proposed a national ban on battery cages. As 1999 draws to a close, this proposal is still being investigated. For more information on attitudes to cages, go to Public and legal opinions about battery cages .

The battery cage system has to change. Whenever Animal Liberationists have entered sheds, they have found very poor conditions, including dead and dying birds in cages.

In August 1999, members of Animal Liberation SA entered sheds owned by Golden Eggs. They found overcrowding of cages, and birds in poor health, with massive feather loss, red irritated skin, scabs on cuts and scratches, and overgrown claws. For more information, go to Animal Liberation actions .

What can you do?

You can make a difference to how hens are kept through the choices you make when shopping. Make sure you buy only eggs that are guaranteed to come from non-caged hens. Don't be fooled by nice sounding names, like "Country Fresh", that conjure up images of green fields. Also don't be fooled by pictures on cartons, like hens sitting on nests. Remember that 93% of eggs come from hens in small wire cages.

However, if you are interested in avoiding cruelty and killing, think about whether you should buy eggs at all. Certainly non-caged hens have a better life, but they are still packed into crates after a year of laying and sent to the slaughterhouse to be made into stock cubes and petfood. When eggs hatch, half the chicks will be male, and they are killed when they are only a few days old because they are of no use to the egg industry.

You can use egg replacer (or just arrowroot) as a binding agent in recipes, and you can use cruelty-free foods such as nuts, beans, tofu and other soy products for protein. You can find many cruelty free recipes in our Recipes section.

If you want more detailed, scientific information on the egg industry, including references, go to: