Project 1882
ANIMALS IN FACTORY FARMS

Hens and roosters

Millions of hens are still kept in cages in the EU. The cages are so cramped that the hens can't even puff up their feathers. Project 1882 has been actively working for many years to improve the situation for hens, and together with our members, we have managed to make eggs from cages a thing of the past in all food chains.

This is what Project 1882 is doing for hens and roosters:

  • Informing the public about the situation of animals and how eggs are produced, such as via the Släpp Burarna (Release the Cages) campaign.
  • Conducting an extensive campaign the last few years aimed at corporations to eliminate caged eggs, both in Sweden and worldwide. This work is strategically carried out through the Open Wing Alliance coalition.
  • Putting pressure on politicians and authorities to change laws that affect hens and male chicks, such as through the citizen initiative End the Cage Age.
  • Operating the inspirational website “Välj Vego” (Choose Vego) which aims to make it easier for more people to choose alternatives to eggs.
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Hens and roosters

The three biggest issues

Cramped cages

The limited space in cages prevents hens from being able to fluff up their feathers without hitting another hen or the cage wall. Up to 16 hens are crowded in the cages that are still allowed in the EU, and the space per hen is smaller than an A4 sheet of paper. The interior of the cages fail to fulfill its function due to overcrowding.

Hönor i äggfabrik, frigående inomhus.

Massive scale

Almost all egg production in the EU takes place in large-scale egg factory farms. The majority of the hens that are not kept in cages are instead kept in "barn" systems in groups of tens of thousands of hens. By comparison, in nature hens prefer to live in groups of a maximum of 30 individuals.

Kycklingar på kläckeri.

Short lives and painful death

Half of all chicks hatched for egg factory farms are male. Since male chicks do not lay eggs and are not fast-growing enough for meat production, they are killed immediately after hatching. The hens in egg factory farms are killed when they are around 1½ years old. At that point, they are no longer considered profitable and often have broken bones due to the demanding egg-laying process which makes them prone to osteoporosis.

Hens and roosters

Issues with egg factory farms

European egg factory farms use more than 380 million hens. Through production-oriented breeding and lighting programs, the hens have been manipulated to lay almost one egg per day, year-round, until their bodies are no longer profitable. Millions of male chicks that are hatched each year are killed on their first day of life.

Cramped cages

Most EU countries still allow keeping of hens in cramped cages. In the EU, 39 % or 152 million hens, were kept in cages 2023.(1) Up to 16 hens can be housed in such a cage, and the minimum required floor space per hen is 600 square centimeters.(2) This is smaller than an A4 sheet of paper.

The limited space prevents the hens from flying and it is too cramped for them to stretch their legs and wings or even to fluff up their feathers. Hens require significantly more space than what the cages allow in order to perform many important behaviors, such as preening.(3, 4)

The interior of the cages also fails to fulfill its function. Research has shown that many hens never visit the inadequate dust-bathing area provided to them.(5) This may be due to the fact that the hens barely have enough space to perform their dust-bathing behavior in the designated area and that they otherwise typically prefer to dust-bathe in groups. It is also permitted to only provide access to the dust-bathing area for five hours per day.(2) The "nest" offered is a sloping wire floor without bedding material. The perches are close to the floor and are probably not perceived by the hens as the elevated resting places they need.(6)

Massive scale

Almost all egg production in the EU takes place in large-scale egg factory farms. The majority of the hens that are not kept in cages are instead kept in "barn" systems in groups of thousands or often tens of thousands of hens.(1) This is in stark contrast with the natural composition of flocks, where it is rare for hens to be in groups larger than 20-30 individuals.(7) The large group sizes in the egg industry expose the hens to a social situation they are not adapted to, leading to abnormal behaviors such as feather pecking and cannibalism. These behaviors are also prevalent in cages due to a lack of stimulation.(8)

Furthermore, there are often high levels of ammonia and poor air quality in the large halls. This has led to legislation allowing for higher levels of ammonia in certain systems compared to others,(2) since the factory farms cannot achieve lower levels.

Short lives and painful death

Half of all chicks hatched in egg factory farms are male. Since male chicks do not lay eggs and don’t grow fast enough for meat production, they are killed immediately after hatching. At least 15,000 newly hatched male chicks are killed every day only in Sweden. It is done through gassing or grinding/maceration.(9) The equivalent number for the EU is probably around 1 million per day. Research and innovation have developed methods for determining the gender of the embryo in eggs, before they hatch, in order to avoid the need for killing. There are ongoing political efforts to ban the culling of healthy male chicks.

The hens in egg factory farms are killed when they are only about 1½ years old. At that point, they are no longer considered profitable and often have broken bones due to osteoporosis caused by the demanding egg-laying process. Approximately half of the hens are transported to a slaughterhouse to be killed.(9,10) Annually, thousands of hens die during such transport due to injuries, transportation accidents or inadequate ventilation.(11)

At slaughterhouses the hens undergo electrical stunning.(9) They are hung upside down by their brittle legs while still fully conscious and their heads are then submerged into an electrically charged water bath. After that, their throats are cut.

The hens that are not slaughtered at the slaughterhouse are killed by gassing in the stable where they have spent most of their lives. This method inflicts extensive suffering during the actual gassing process, as the hens struggle to breathe and gradually lose consciousness during an hour-long process of filling the barn with gas.(12,13)

1. European Commission (2024) Egg market situation dashboard. 

2. Regulations amending the Swedish Board of Agriculture's regulations and general advice (SJVFS 2019:23) on poultry keeping in agriculture etc., SJVFS 2022:5, item number L 111.

3. Albentosa M.J. & Cooper J.J. (2004) Effects of cage height and stocking density on the frequency of comfort behaviours performed by laying hens housed in furnished cages. Animal Welfare 13: 419–424.

4. Riddle E.R. et al. (2018) Space use by 4 strains of laying hens to perch, wing flap, dust bathe, stand and lie down. PLoS ONE 13(1): e0190532.

5. Wall H. (2003) Laying Hens in Furnished Cages – Use of Facilities, Exterior Egg Quality and Bird Health. Doctoral thesis, SLU Uppsala.

6. EFSA (2015) Scientific Opinion on welfare aspects of the use of perches for laying hens. EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW).

7. Neuschütz K. & Odén K. (2005) Höns – raser, skötsel, uppfödning. Natur & Kultur.

8. Lay D., C. et al. (2011) Hen welfare in different housing systems. Poultry Science 90(1): 278–294.

9. Swedish Board of Agriculture (2016) Matsvinn inom ägg- och matfågelproduktion.

10. Swedish Board of Agriculture (2022) Animalieproduktion. Annual and monthly statistics 2021:12.

11. National Food Agency. Personal message 2017 and 2020.

12. EFSA (2004) Scientific Report of the Scientific Panel for Animal Health and Welfare on a request from the Commission related to welfare aspects of animal stunning and killing methods.

13. Nimmermark S. et al. (2010) Carbon dioxide killing of laying hens in housing stables. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Environment and Health.

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Project 1882 works for the animals that are the most exploited and suffer the worst. Thanks to your support, we can change the situation of hens and roosters in factory farms.

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Hens and roosters

FAQ

Free-range systems have similar high-producing breeds, the same slaughter methods and hatcheries (where the male chicks are killed) as other egg factory farms. It is better to choose to exclude eggs entirely from your diet to avoid animal suffering.

Hens that are raised organically or in free-range systems live in similar facilities to those labeled as "barn," but they have access to outdoor areas during the warmer seasons. Eggs produced during the winter always come from hens confined indoors. The difference for organic hens is that they are kept in slightly smaller groups, though still in the thousands, and there can be a maximum of six hens per square meter instead of up to nine. The main difference lies in the feed, but organic feed often contains fish products and is therefore not fish-friendly nor vegetarian-friendly.