Colony eggs (CL)

​Colony cages are barely any better for hens than standard battery cages, as shown in this video. 

​

Colony cage farm sites can cage hundreds of thousands of hens at a time. 60-80 hens can be kept in a single colony cage. They each have the space a bit bigger than the size of an iPad.

 

Hens in colony cages get some extra things in their cages that are meant to make their lives a bit more interesting. They have perches, plastic pads to scratch on and plastic flaps to give them some privacy when they are laying eggs. The reality is these extra things don't make much of a difference.

 

Most colony caged hens have had their beaks trimmed off with a laser as a chick. This is done because hens get frustrated when crammed into cages. They take this frustration out on their cage-mates by pecking them. This can turn into cannibalism. 

​

Just like hens kept in standard battery cages, colony caged hens are killed at 18 months old and are typically used for pet food. At that age, hens lay less and produce eggs that have thinner shells, which affects profitability. (Video credit: Tamara Kenneally).

​

Male chicks born into the egg industry have no use as they don't lay eggs and they are not used for meat production in New Zealand. The egg industry kills over three million day-old male chicks every year by gassing or instantaneous fragmentation (minced alive at a high speed). ​