Hens moult in the autumn and are off-lay for 2-3 months to rest. Battery-farmers reduce this non-productive period by semi or total starvation of the hens, in order to bring them back on-lay more quickly. Many hens die during this process.
The battery system was designed to allow faeces to drop through the bottom of the cage, separating the hens from possible sources of diseases - especially those caused by internal parasites. But the cage system itself creates severe disease problems and suffering. The duties of the stockperson amount to little more than the upkeep of automated equipment and removal of dead birds from their cages. While no official statistics exist the government have estimated that over 2 million battery hens die in cages every year.
Now you wonder, what happens to all the male chicks? Half of all chicks born are male are killed (usually by gassing) because they can neither produce eggs nor put enough weight quickly enough to be fattened for meat. Their female counterparts begins their year-long ordeal in cages at around 18 weeks.
Stressed and crowded hens peck at each other. Therefore farmers cut off a third of the hen’s beak with a hot wire guillotine. This causes severe pain at the time and the hen may die of shock. In addition the nerves in the beak stump are still active and the hen suffers pain for months, perhaps years afterwards. Many have great difficulty eating for the rest of their lives.
Battery hens are prone to multiple fractures during capture and transportation to the killing plant. In a study by the Institute of Food Research at Langford near Bristol, researchers found that 29% of battery hens had broken by the time they reached the slaughterhouse. By the end of the slaughtering process 98% had broken bones.
Now we move on to the most hard-hitting of all these arguments: Most battery hens have to stand on a piece of wire caging smaller tan a piece of A4 paper and this is permitted by law.
Would consumers not be willing to pay a little more when they buy eggs just to end this continuous suffering of these innocent beings who can do nothing to help themselves except cluck quietly in a corner?
