battery cages and the welfare of hens in Canada
A 2005 report by the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals and the Vancouver Humane Society
October 1, 2005
The mid-twentieth century industrialization of farming revolutionized egg production by introducing the battery cage system for laying hens. The system, now virtually universal in industrialized nations, is designed to produce the maximum number of eggs for the lowest possible price. This is achieved through space reduction and tight control of the provision of water, food and light. But these measures, along with genetic selection aimed at producing highly productive layers, have severely compromised the welfare of the caged hens.
