Vegetarians and eggs...
In June 1999, it was announced that battery cages would be banned throughout the EU. Although the ban will not take effect until 2012, the phase-out process will begin in 2003. 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 fulfil 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 read more
