What did battery cages do to animals and environment?

A brief review by Gede Sanjaya

                                                                       Photo by CIWF 

Introduction

To understand what the effect of battery cages do to animals and environment as the planet’s population increases, so does the demand for mass-produced food products. The result of the increase in demand has been the rapid development of the factory farming industry(1). A prominent component of the factory farmed by-product industry is the battery cage egg-farming scheme, which has cultivated immense amounts of damage to the hens (animal abuse) and environment involved including polluting the air, and the water, contributing immensely to climate change, deforesting swaths of land, and lessening the biodiversity(1), although cage systems can allow greater control over the bird health, where hens in cage systems have the lowest risk of contracting and transmitting infectious diseases(2) but cage systems still have more negative effect for animals.

What Really Happened?

The factory farming industry is inflicting damage on the animals upon which it relies as well as the environments that house it(3). The environmental harm caused by the running of such factories includes: the pollution of fresh water systems, and the pollution of the air due to toxic run off from animal waste, and pesticide surplus from excess feed production(3). The method of farming known as battery-cage farming, is responsible for immense amounts of animal abuse, due to the small cages in which the hens are kept, and disregard with which they are treated. The hens are subjected to continuous physical abuse due to the extreme demand for product (1). Animal Liberation Organization (2014)(4) added that upon birth the hens are placed into their life-long homes, small wire cages, with three pluss mates, each one allotted space equivalent to that of an A4 sheet of printer paper. Foraging behaviour is not possible in conventional cages, and is only partially accommodated in furnished cages, where substrate may be insufficient, or quickly depleted. Environmental complexity is extremely limited in both conventional and furnished cage systems, which limits the hens’ ability to explore their environment and forage(2).

What should be done to prevent this – is cage-free system better?

Due to increasing societal concerns regarding animal welfare, cage-free housing systems for laying hens are becoming more and more popular around the world(5). Further study report that cage-free systems have the potential to allow hens to express their full behavioural repertoire, this is dependent on stocking densities, flooring material and maintenance, as well as the provision of adequate resources including suitable enclosed nesting sites and ample perch space(2). Allowing hens to access an outdoor area improves opportunities for behavioural expression including foraging, exercising, and exploring(2). Foraging, ground-scratching and dustbathing in particular are able to be fully expressed in cage-free systems: these activities are impossible for hens to perform in conventional cages, and are very limited in furnished cages. Hens in cage-free systems have the best musculoskeletal health, a decreased incidence of osteoporosis, and fewer fractures which occur during depopulation. With cage-free system, hens are able to access to a good quality of life, well-maintained litter is critical to their welfare to maintain good plumage condition, improve the feeling of satisfaction, and potentially reduce adverse behaviours such as severe feather pecking(2).

Conclusion

The use of cage systems on farms can cause various problems for laying hens as of the low welfare provided which affects the health of the laying hens as well as the environment. Switching from a cage system to a cage-free system is considered one of the best ways to meet the welfare of laying hens even though the cage-free system still have some drawbacks.

References

1. Kraus, A. 2014. Environmental Impacts of the Battery Cage Industry Depicted Through Sculpture. Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1752. "Environmental Impacts of the Battery Cage Industry Depicted Through Sc" by Amber Kraus (sit.edu)"

2. Matcher, K.M., B. Jones. 2017. The welfare of layer hens in cage and cage-free housing systems. World's Poultry Science Journal, Vol. 73. the-welfare-of-layer-hens-in-cage-and-cage-free-housing-systems.pdf

3. Australian Government. (2013.) Australian farming and agriculture – grazing and cropping. Retrieved April 14, 2014, from http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-farming-and-agriculture

4. Animal Liberation Organization. (2014). No Caged eggs. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://nocagedeggs.com/caged-eggs.htm

5. Rodenburg, T. B., M. F. Giersberg, P. Petersan, and S. Shields. 2022. “Freeing the Hens: Workshop Outcomes for Applying Ethology to the Development of Cage-Free Housing Systems in the Commercial Egg Industry.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 251 (January): 105629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105629