The RSPCA has produced an information sheet (PDF 39.2KB) about how laying hens are kept and their behaviour and welfare.
Key laying hen welfare issues
In the UK around 58% of eggs are produced by hens kept in battery cages. Conventional barren wire mesh cages measure about 50cm x 55cm and house five hens. Research shows that associated welfare issues include:
insufficient space for hens to properly preen, turn around, or stretch and flap their wings
lack of opportunity for perching
lack of opportunity for dustbathing
lack of opportunity to lay eggs in a separate nest
lack of opportunity for foraging.
Conventional battery cages will be banned throughout Europe from 2012. However, it will still be permitted to keep hens in so-called 'enriched' cages, which provide just 50cm2 of extra usable space per bird compared to conventional cages, with limited provisions for a scratching area, nesting area and perches. These facilities still fail to properly cater for the hens' behavioural needs and impose severe restrictions on movement.
The RSPCA is calling for all cage systems to be banned and for hens to be kept in well-managed alternative systems such as barn or free-range.
Recent RSPCA work on laying hen welfare
2002 Consultation on enriched cages: the RSPCA submitted a detailed response to Defra highlighting the need to ban all cages for welfare reasons.
The Case Against Cages - report
Coming of Age - report
Range enrichment: more information about this project is available on our research projects page.
RSPCA welfare standards for laying hens
We encourage all producers to adopt the RSPCA welfare standards for laying hens, which have been developed to ensure higher standards of welfare are met. Recent developments to the standards include:
Pullet rearing: Pullets (young hens before they produce eggs) are reared for around 16 weeks in separate housing before being transported to the laying unit. The RSPCA believes that facilities should be as similar as possible to the laying unit to avoid stressful changes. One such aspect of the housing is the provision of perching which, following a number of farm visits, the RSPCA welfare standards now require for all pullets.
Catching of end-of-lay hens: Information resulting from an RSPCA-commissioned study of current practices, and how these could be improved to the benefit of bird welfare, has recently been used to revise and strengthen the standards in this area.
How you can help - use your consumer power
Download our user-friendly guide to food products containing free-range eggs at the bottom of this page.
Useful links
Freedom Food
Products from animals inspected to higher welfare standards.
Defra
(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Information about codes and legislation.
FAWC
(Farm Animal Welfare Council)
Report on laying hen welfare.
