Caged chickens10/3/2023 ![]() This may trigger behaviours such as hen pecking, bullying and cannibalism. 10 Debeakingĭue to the suppression of many of their natural instincts and social interactions, such as choosing a suitable nesting place to lay their eggs, hens raised in battery cages can become frustrated, fearful and aggressive. 9 Extreme inactivity also results in hens developing disuse osteoporosis, leading to chronic pain from bone fractures. 7 Ian Duncan, Emeritus Chair in Animal Welfare at the University of Guelph, states that the most significant source of battery hen frustration is “undoubtedly the lack of nesting opportunity.” 8īattery hens may also experience chronic pain from the development of lesions and foot problems, as a result of standing on often sloping wire floors that are designed to facilitate egg collection. 6 Hens housed in battery cages have been found to display agitated pacing and escape behaviours which can last for up to four hours prior to laying their eggs. 5Īlthough nesting is a behavioural priority for a hen, hens are unable to lay eggs in a discrete, private or enclosed nesting space when they are kept in conventional battery cages. 4Īccording to animal welfare expert Dr John Webster, “the unenriched battery cage simply does not meet the physiological and behavioural requirements of the laying hen, which makes any quibbling about minimum requirements for floor space superfluous”. 3 This is insufficient room to act on natural instincts and behaviours like wing flapping, grooming, preening, stretching, foraging and dust bathing. 2 Depending on their body size, the number of hens per cage, or in which jurisdiction they reside, each hen can be allocated space less than that of an A4 sized piece of paper. 1 Each hen has anywhere between 3 and 20 cage mates. Hens in battery cages spend their lives in artificially lit surroundings designed to maximise laying activity. Despite increasing community awareness about their plight, the vast majority of egg-laying hens are permanently warehoused with tens of thousands of other birds until their slaughter. Permanent confinementīattery cages are used on factory farms to confine egg-laying hens. Read more below about the issues with all systems of egg production, and how you can help achieve an end to the use of battery cages in Australia. For the first time, Australia is now on the brink of banning battery cages, acknowledging the significant and inherent risks they pose to the health and welfare of hens. These outdated and inadequate cages have been banned, or are being phased out, in a number of global markets including most member states of the European Union, New Zealand and Switzerland. Over 10 million layer hens are housed in intensive battery cage systems in Australia. ![]() Despite increasing community awareness about their plight, the vast majority of egg-laying hens live this way, warehoused with hundreds of thousands of other birds. Right now in Australia, eleven million ‘battery’ hens 1are confined to small cages in which they are unable to exercise most of their natural behaviours. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |