Egg production systems |
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Eggs are produced by hens living in a cage (battery farming), in a barn or free range. Cage EggsCage eggs come from hens housed in battery cages. A battery cage is made of welded wire and metal and will usually house 3-5 birds. The floor of the cage slopes down to the front so that the eggs roll away out of the cage. The hens have access to food troughs and water drinkers. In newer systems, cages are stacked in several tiers, one above the other, inside a climate-controlled shed. The shed may contain as many as 100,000 birds. Older systems have cages in a single tier in sheds with natural ventilation. Modern sheds have automated egg and manure collection systems; in older sheds this is carried out manually. The current minimum space allocation for caged birds (under 2.4kg) is 450cm2 floor space per bird (less than the size of a piece of A4 paper). Regulations have been introduced to slightly increase the minimum floor space to 550cm2 (still less than A4 size). At present, around two-thirds of the 11.6 million birds kept in cages are provided with 550cm2 floor space each, with the remaining third of caged birds being allocated 450cm2 each. The small size of cages means that birds are unable to turn around easily, stretch out, flap their wings or exercise. Importantly, cages do not satisfy the hen’s behavioural need to perch, dust bathe, forage, and lay their eggs in a secluded nest. Barn-laid EggsBarn-laid eggs come from hens housed in a large barn or shed, which contains perching facilities, litter, nest boxes, feeders and drinkers. Most barns have around one-third of the floor space covered with litter that allows for scratching and dust bathing. Flocks may be small (500 birds) or large (5000 birds or more). RSPCA-accredited barn-housed hens are kept at a lower stocking density than conventional barns. Barn-housed hens have the freedom to move around, stretch, flap their wings, socialise, perch, forage and dust bathe. They are also able to lay their eggs in a secluded nest, a behavioural priority for all hens. Free-range eggsFree-range eggs come from hens that have access to an outdoor area during the day. At night, large flocks of free-range hens are kept in sheds or barns that have similar features to those for barn-housed hens. Smaller flocks may be housed in moveable sheds to allow rotational use of the range area. |
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