Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr15/vegsocuk.zip/EGGHENS.TXT

Text File | 1995-03-13 | 11KB | 196 lines

                            VegSocUK Information Sheet
                              THE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY


   ___________________________________

                                  LAYING HENS

   Laying hens are reared for egg production. There are over 33 million laying
   hens in the UK. About 85% are kept in battery cages. Alternatives to battery
   cage systems are percheries (aviaries) and free-range systems. About 10% of
   laying hens in the UK are free-range and this is likely to increase.

  BATTERY EGG PRODUCTION & REGULATIONS

   Battery cages are arranged in rows of three to six tiers inside huge,
   windowless sheds. These can contain up to 30 000 birds. Heating, ventilation
   and lighting are all automatically controlled. Egg-laying is promoted by
   light and so artificial lighting is kept on for 17 hours/day to help increase
   production. Feeding and watering is also automated. Feed can include the
   recyled remains of unwanted male chicks and other animal products as well as
   growth-promoting antibiotics, yolk colourants and other additives.

   Hens are taken from breeding farms when 18-20 weeks old and put into cages,
   usually with four other birds. Each hen can produce 300 eggs/year. This
   compares with only 12-20 eggs produced each year by their wild ancestors.
   Hens are so crowded that they are unable to move freely or flap their wings.
   After twelve months, the hens egg-laying ability starts to decline. Hens are
   then considered spent and so are slaughtered and used in baby foods, pet
   foods, soups, pies and other processed foods. The natural lifespan of a hen
   is about 5 or 6 years.

   A single cage housing five birds averages only 40 x 55 cm in size. The 1986
   EC Battery Hens Directive sets a minimum floor area of just 450 square cm per
   bird (considerably smaller than the 620 square cm of this sheet.) This
   legislation currently only covers cages built after January 1st 1988. Cages
   pre-dating this have until 1995 to meet the requirements. 30 to 50% of cages
   in the UK do not currently comply with these standards.

   The Battery Hens Directive is presently under review. Proposed changes in a
   draft recommendation include increasing the minimum floor area per bird to
   800 square cms and increasing minimum cage heights to 60 cm.

   Elsewhere in Europe, Switzerland has banned the building of new battery cages
   after 1991 and given existing producers ten years to phase out existing
   battery farms. Sweden will effect a similar ban in 1998.

   Eggs from battery hens do not have to be labelled as such. Eggs sold as
   farm-fresh or country-fresh are invariably from battery hens.

  WELFARE AND DISEASE

   The intensive overcrowding and barren environment faced by battery hens means
   they are prone to a wide range of welfare and disease problems.

   Hens kept in battery cages are unable to fulfill basic behavioural needs such
   as wing-flapping, dust-bathing, scratching, pecking, perching and
   nest-building. The resulting frustration and stress leads to aggressive
   behaviour such as feather-pecking and  cannibalism.

   Cages prevent hens from dust-bathing. Despite this, caged hens will attempt
   to dustbathe on the wire floors or on other birds. This is called vacuum
   dustbathing. Such stereotyped behaviour is common amongst battery hens.
   Pecking and scratching for food is also impossible. Hens naturally spend a
   great deal of time pecking at objects. Hens in cages have nothing to peck at
   and so may peck cage fittings and each other. Feather-pecking is a major
   problem in cages. Many hens eventually lose all their back feathers as these
   are easy targets for other birds. As birds are unable to escape one another,
   feather-pecking can escalate into increased aggression and cannibalism.

   In an attempt to prevent feather-pecking, many hens undergo debeaking or
   beak-trimming when young chicks. This involves cutting off about one-third of
   the bill using a heated blade without anaesthetic. This is obviously very
   painful for the birds and studies have shown that the pain lasts for a
   prolonged period if not indefinitely. Birds may not resume normal pecking or
   preening for as long as six weeks after debeaking, and in some cases profuse
   bleeding and death from shock occurs.

   Hens show elaborate nest-searching and nest-building behaviour given the
   opportunity. Caged hens have no nesting material and no quiet, dark place in
   which to lay. Hens become frustrated and aggressive prior to lay and may
   attempt to hold back egg-laying.

   Unchecked growth of claws is another problem faced by battery hens. Normally
   their claws would be worn down by walking and scratching. This is not
   possible in battery cages and so claws may grow and become entangled in the
   wire floor. This can prevent birds from reaching food and water, causing
   death from hunger or thirst.

   Damage to feet and claws can also result from having to continually stand or
   crouch on thin wire floors, especially as these are generally sloped. Steep
   sloping floors lead to high levels of foot deformities as birds are more
   likely to slip.

   Overcrowding means hens are unable to exercise. This results in weak, brittle
   bones which are prone to fracture. A study by the Agricultural and Food
   Research Council in 1992 found that one-third of laying hens in cages
   suffered broken bones by the time of slaughter. The high incidence of broken
   bones is a severe welfare problem causing considerable pain and distress to
   birds. Most bone fractures occur when the hens are removed from cages and
   transported for slaughter.

   Bone fractures also occur when hens are disturbed. Because of their barren
   and monotonous surroundings battery hens are easily startled and are prone to
   hysteria. Hens become frantic and try to flap their wings and hide at the
   rear of their cages. This can spread through whole sheds and lead to a high
   incidence of injuries.

   Disease can also be a problem in battery farms. Infectious bronchitis, cage
   layer fatigue, leukosis and egg peritonitis are just some of the diseases
   prevalent in battery systems. Many hens are infected with salmonella and
   campylobacter though they may not show any symptoms. This can cause severe
   food poisoning in humans following consumption of contaminated eggs.

   Mortality in UK battery cage flocks is around 6% or 2 million birds/year.
   Removing the deads is a daily process in many battery farms. The design of
   battery sheds means many deads can remain unnoticed, especially on the top
   and bottom tiers.

  ALTERNATIVE SYSTEMS

   The two main alternatives to battery cages are percheries and free-range
   systems. Whilst these are preferable to battery cages both can have
   considerable welfare problems.

    Percheries

   In percheries, the hens are kept in large windowless sheds with several rows
   of perches at different heights. The floor is likely to be at least partly
   covered with litter (wood shavings or straw) and nest boxes are provided.
   Percheries are often old battery sheds that have been converted. Eggs from
   percheries are called barn eggs.

   EC regulations means hens can be stocked at 25 hens per square metre floor
   space with 15 cm perching space/bird. This can create stress from
   overcrowding leading to aggressive behaviour, feather-pecking and
   cannibalism. Debeaking is common in perchery systems. Another problem of
   overcrowding is birds crashing into one another whilst attempted to land on
   perches. 25% of perchery hens may have broken bones before transport to
   slaughter due to flight and landing accidents . This is a much higher level
   than either battery or free-range hens.

   Many birds are unable to lay eggs in nest boxes and so lay them on the floor
   where they may be eaten by other birds or become contaminated due to contact
   with the birds faeces. Disease is also a major problem. Coccidiosis, foot
   infections and other diseases can be widespread in large flocks.

    Free-range

   The UK free-range flock numbers around 3 million birds, 10% of the national
   egg-laying flock. Commercial free-range systems involve massive flocks, often
   around 15 000 birds, which are housed in huge sheds. The birds must have
   continuous access to open-air runs which means the sheds have a number of
   pop-holes. Stocking densities must not be more than 1000 birds/hectare of
   ground to which the birds have access. This is about 200 times more space
   than battery hens have. However, inadequate numbers of pop-holes in large
   sheds may mean that many birds never leave the sheds. Pop-holes may also be
   protected by more aggressive birds discouraging other hens from using them
   freely. Overcrowding inside the sheds can lead to similar welfare problems as
   percheries with aggression, feather-pecking and cannibalism all occurring.
   Debeaking is more common in free-range hens than battery hens. Disease is
   also a problem, especially where high stocking densities result in the ground
   outside becoming heavily fouled.

   Traditional free-range involves smaller flocks which are housed in moveable
   houses. Many small producers were put out of business by Government
   legislation requiring flocks to be tested for salmonella, making small flocks
   uneconomic.

  MALE CHICKS

   All egg production systems involve the disposal of unwanted male chicks. Male
   chicks from selectively bred egg-laying strains are not suitable for meat
   production and so are killed at one to three days old. Killing is usually by
   carbon dioxide gassing though other methods include decapitation,
   neck-breaking or suffocation. Around 35 million male chicks are killed
   annually. Slaughtered chicks may be added to feed or used as fertiliser.
   ___________________________________


//
This article is copyright to the Vegetarian Society (UK), but may be freely
copied for non-commercial use provided it is kept intact, not altered
and these lines are included.

For futher information contact: The Vegetarian Society, Parkdale, Dunham Road,
Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 4QG, England. Tel: (England) 061 928 0793
email: [e-mail]
//



[The text of this file was obtained from the Vegetarian Society (UK) in
March 1995.]