In December 2012 the government released a new welfare code for layer hens that bans the standard battery cage yet allows a new kind of cage, the colony battery cage – a cage system that a number of other countries are already moving away from. 

They are illegal in Switzerland; Austria has banned all colony cages by 2020; Belgium by 2024. Supermarkets in Germany and the Netherlands refuse to sell colony cage-produced eggs. These cages will become the norm for New Zealand cage egg producers by 2022. 

  

Over three million layer hens live short and cruel lives crammed inside wire cages to produce eggs. Eighty-two per cent of the one billion eggs consumed in New Zealand are produced by caged hens that spend their entire lives mistreated and abused. 

Mc Donald's, Burger King , and Wendy's  are using free ranged produce supporting the rights and freedom of these animals.  

Although battery cages are now being phased out, it does not become law until 2022  that’s too long to wait , to save the hens from suffering . 

 

SAFE is concerned at continued hen suffering, both until this date, and in the new colony battery cages that the Government has decided to allow as the replacement. 

 

Radio NZ  (http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/300904/'barbaric'-chicken-farm-conditions-investigated ) 

 

 "hens packed into filthy overcrowded cages and laying fresh eggs on the rotting corpses of others"  

MIKE MATHER

Last updated 15:00, April 16 2016

GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZAbout 20 people took part in the protest outside Heyden Farms in Lichfield, where an estimated 260,000 chickens are farmed in colony cages.

The plight of chickens that live most of their lives in cramped colony cages was the focus of a roadside protest in South Waikato on Saturday - and some participants even put themselves in the birds' places.

Outside Heyden Farms in Lichfield, near Putaruru, demonstrators squeezed into a cage as a way of drawing attention to the cruelty of the cages.

About 20 demonstrators, led by members of Save Animals From Exploitation (Safe), held vigil outside the poultry complex from 10.30am on Saturday 

GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZSome of the protesters caged themselves to emphasise the plight of colony cages.

Heyden Farms featured in recently released footage covertly recorded by animal rights group Farmwatch at the complex. It included footage of several dead hens, hens trapped under perches, and hens severely de-feathered.

Safe Waikato co-ordinator Sandra Kyle said the demonstration was a means of shocking legislators into banning colony cages.

"With colony cages, or furnished colony systems, producers are implying that the hens' lives will be greatly improved. This is blatantly not the case," she said.

FARMWATCHThe Farmsafe footage of the chickens at Heyden farms.

"Colony cages are scarcely any better than battery cages, and as they are sold as colony eggs in supermarkets, consumers are led to believe that the hens are cage-free and remain in the dark about the true situation."

In colony cages, hens have roughly the space of an A4 sheet of paper to move around on. They suffer foot injuries from standing on a wire floors and many become de-feathered because their cage-mates peck at them and they rub against the sides of the cages.

"They are unable to flap their wings or walk more than a few steps in any direction. If a hen uses a perch ...  she could well become trapped underneath it. Her scratch pad is a small piece of plastic, fixed to the floor. 

FARMWATCHPersonal space appeared to be nonexistent for many of the captive chooks

"She is denied her natural instincts her entire life up until the time when, spent, she is sent to slaughter."

Protest organiser Lynley Tulloch said it would be a peaceful demonstration and there were no plans to go into the farm.

"We won't be confronting them onsite. Not today, anyway."

Calls to Heyden Farms were not being answered on Saturday.

The farm is owned by the Van der Heyden family and has former Fonterra chairman Sir Henry Van der Heyden as a shareholder.

About 260,000 chickens are in colony cages in the Lichfield complex. The farm is also home to an additional 40,000 free-range hens.

Farmwatch lodged a complaint with the Ministry for Primary Industries earlier this month, soon after releasing the video.

An MPI spokesman last week said the ministry had made an unannounced inspection of the farm after the complaint and spent two days investigating.

It was clear "the footage that has been released to the public is not acceptable practice", but the ministry's inspectors did not see all of the issues that were filmed.

However, it found some standards were not being met in relation to: overcrowding in some cages, the removal of dead birds and the state of the live birds.

The ministry had continued to keep an eye on the facility and said it was satisfied "corrective action has been taken".

The spokesman said MPI's first priority was to mitigate the suffering of animals and prevent it from recurring. "Laying charges is not always the best solution for the animals' future."

Major supermarket companies Foodstuffs and Countdown both said they had reminded their egg suppliers that they had to adhere to government standards on animal welfare.

Foodstuffs said it took a small amount of budget eggs from the Independent Egg Producers Co-op, which Heyden Farms supplied.

Countdown said it did not take colony cage eggs from the farm but had taken steps to remove the Morning Harvest label, which uses the farm's conventional cage eggs, until it could get assurances from the supplier.

It called the video "disturbing and disappointing".

Sunny-side up, over-easy, or scrambled. However we like them, we like them. We get through one billion eggs each year. Retail sales are worth more than $250 million annually. The egg-eater's dilemma is that most eggs are laid by hens in battery cages, which have long been recognised as failing to protect the birds' welfare.

Battery phase out

Battery cages are finally being phased out, but it’s over a 10-year period and a decade after a similar ban took effect in the EU. The government has announced that from 31 December 2022 battery cages will be gone. Egg producers will either have to switch to "enriched" colony cages or alternatives such as barn or free range (see 'Ban timetable' below). 

Battery cages like these are finally being phased out.

The decade-long phase out has managed to anger both animal welfare advocates and the industry. The former contend it's too long and argue colony cages aren't much of an improvement. The SPCA's Juliette Banks says it wants farmers to get rid of cages entirely. 

For its part, the industry describes the phase-out timetable variously as “brutal”, “crippling” and “punitive”. Michael Guthrie, Chair of the Egg Producers Federation, says his members support an end to battery cages but the proposed timeframe will impose a huge financial cost on farmers and ultimately consumers.

Economies of scale

Eggs are about as cheap now as they've ever been. Statistics New Zealand figures show the price of eggs has plunged dramatically in the last 50 years. Back in 1959 a dozen eggs cost the equivalent of $10.14. You can now buy them for $3.48, around a third of the price (see our Egg prices graph, below). 

The exception is free-range organic eggs, which can retail for around $10, similar to what consumers paid in the '50s. 

Much of the reason for the plummet in price is the huge economies of scale offered by battery cages. Out of a total population of 3.3 million hens, around 80 percent are kept in these cages. 

But cheap and plentiful eggs have come at a cost. 

Egg prices: our data are from Statistics NZ. Price is for a dozen eggs.

In 2005 the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, set up to provide advice to the government, conceded battery cages didn't meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act. It's subsequently stated the cages severely restrict the birds' ability to perform most of their normal behaviours. 

The announcement of a phase-out of battery cages won't be the end of the matter. Animal welfare groups have shifted their attention to colony cages. The SPCA's Juliette Banks believes farmers who opt for colony cages "will be left selling an inferior product in a market demanding better and better welfare standards". 

Meanwhile, the Egg Producers Federation says it's "formally notified" the Minister of Primary Industries that it believes the phase-out timetable is unachievable. The Federation told us it's awaiting the minister's response before it considers further action.

Price rises

The retail price of eggs will rise as a result of the ban. By exactly how much is less certain. 

Figures cited by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee suggest the long-term retail increase will be between 10 and 14 percent if battery cages are replaced by colony cages. An industry-wide move to barns would see price rises between 18 and 45 percent; a move to free range would result in hikes of between 38 and 56 percent. 

Based on the cheapest prices today, these estimates would see the cost of a dozen eggs increase by 49 cents (at most) if farmers switch to colony cages. Switching from battery to free range would add a maximum of $1.95 to the price. All other things being equal, retail prices would be around what they were during the 1980s. 

The ban, together with changing consumer preferences, may see a push towards more free range and barn egg production. In the UK, where a battery cage ban took effect from January 2012, production of free-range, barn and organic eggs now surpasses cage eggs. 

A shift in consumer preferences is already evident here. According to industry data, in the year to June 2012 supermarket sales of free-range eggs were worth around $45 million, up 13 percent on the previous 12 months. While supermarket sales of all eggs have been increasing, free-range sales have been growing at a faster rate than sales of any other eggs.

Our view

Hen housing

Data in our table below are from the Animal Welfare (Layer Hens) Code of Welfare Report by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and the Code of Welfare 2012 for layer hens.

How many hens? shows numbers per cage where applicable; barn and free range are averages (rounded to the nearest hundred) taken from Comparative Assessment of Layer Hen Welfare in New Zealand published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in March 2009.

System How many hensPerches, scratching & nesting areas?Outdoor access?Hens per area
Battery cage  | 3 to 7 | No | No | 1 hen per 500cm2 for cages built before 1 January 2005; 1 hen per 550cm2 for cages built after 1 January 2005.C
Colony cage | 20 to 90 | Yes | No | 1 hen per 750cm2 (or 13 hens per m2).
Barn  | 18,700A | Yes | NoB | 7 hens per m2.
Free range  | 1300 (small farm), 11,100 (large farm) | Yes | Yes | 9 hens per m2 inside; 1 hen per 4m2 outside.

Page 4 – Egg farming and production

Cage farming

Cage or battery farms supply 89% of eggs in New Zealand. A cage is usually just over half a square metre, while so-called enriched cages are larger and have a perch, nest box and dust bath. Cage floors are made of mesh and are gently sloped, allowing the eggs to roll out. Eggs are collected by hand or in an automated system by conveyor belt. Feed is available from a trough in front of the cage, and water from dispensers. Manure drops through the mesh floor of the cage, and in automated systems is carried away by conveyor belt.

Cooped-up

Even in the early days of the poultry industry, hen housing was a matter for debate. An article in the 1910 issue of the Journal of Agriculturestated that ‘The proper housing of fowls is one of the most discussed questions of the day. … The old, closed in and ill ventilated house must go. The open front and draught proof structure is the ideal’. 1

Free-range farming

Free-range farms supply 9.7% of eggs in New Zealand. The typical, medium-sized farm has 5,000–10,000 birds, while small farms can have as few as 3,000 hens and larger operations up to 60,000. The birds move freely inside a shed, which is fitted with nest boxes and perches. Pop-holes provide access to an outdoor area called the range, although it is not known whether all the hens spend time there.

Barns

Barn production systems supply 1.4% of eggs. The birds live inside a shed fitted with nest boxes and perches, but never go outside.

Out, damned spot

Occasionally you might find a blood spot on a yolk. They are caused during the egg’s formation by a ruptured blood vessel on the yolk’s surface. Less than 1% of eggs sold have blood spots, as they are normally removed during quality checking. You can eat the egg as usual, or remove the spot.

Quality checking

After the eggs have been collected, they are examined for quality. In a process called candling, a bright light is shone through the egg to show up defects. Dirty, cracked or thin-shelled ones are removed. Those with cracks – about 15% – are processed into liquid or dried form, and used in commercial baking and cooking.

Size grading

Whole eggs that have been approved by candling are graded for packing. The minimum size for gradings are 35 grams for a pullet (size 4), 44 grams for a medium (size 5), 53 grams for a standard (size 6), 62 grams for a large (size 7), and 68 grams for a jumbo (size 8). Mixed-grade eggs vary in size.

Double yolks

Double-yolked eggs are sometimes produced by birds when they first start laying. They are caused when the bird’s ovaries release two yolks at once which grow together within a single shell. Eggs with two yolks are often larger, although sometimes they are small but heavy for their size. About one in every 1,000 eggs has two yolks.

Shell and yolk colour

Eggshell colour varies from white to caramel-brown. There is no difference in quality or taste between eggs of different colours. Shell colour is genetically determined – breeds derived from the Rhode Island Red (such as the Shaver Brown and Hyline Brown) produce brown eggs, while those from the Leghorn (such as the Shaver White and Hyline White) produce white eggs. The colour of a hen’s eggs can be determined by examining her feathers and ear lobes – hens with red feathers and ear lobes produce brown eggs, while those with white feathers and ear lobes produce white eggs. New Zealand customers tend to prefer brown eggs, which in 2009 made up 95% of eggs.

What’s in a yolk?

The yolk makes up a third of the liquid weight of an egg. It contains all of the fat and just under half the protein. All of the egg's zinc and vitamins A, D and E are in the yolk, which also contains more phosphorus, manganese, iron, iodine, copper, and calcium than the white. Yolk colour depends on the hen’s diet – hens fed corn produce the golden yolks preferred by most New Zealanders, while those fed wheat or barley lay paler yolks.

In the 2000s a wider range of eggs has become available, including organic, omega-3-enriched, and those produced by hens given whole-grain or vegetarian feed.

Welfare

The welfare of laying hens is guided by the Animal Welfare (Layer Hen) Code of Welfare 2005, which was created by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, a ministerial committee made up of animal-welfare experts and advisors.

Free Range Eggs at Burger King

Burger King to sell only Free Range Eggs from Sept 1stBurger King NZ will start to use free range eggs in its restaurants, New Zealand wide from September 1st.

John Hunter, CEO of Burger King New Zealand, says, “We are delighted to announce, in partnership with New Zealand’s leading egg producer, Zeagold, Burger King will be the first large burger chain to move to 100% Free Range Eggs New Zealand wide.”

“Burger King takes its responsibility in maintaining market leading practices on animal welfare, seriously.”

This latest initiative from Burger King comes after the company announced the addition of milk to its Kids Meals at prices cheaper than soda options and the removal of plastic toys from its Kids Meals. This signals a further commitment to the ongoing focus on food improvement initiatives the company has undertaken over many years. In August 2014 Burger King became the first major burger restaurant chain in New Zealand to display the energy content of menu items on menu boards.

ENDS

 

Do Chickens Lay Eggs in the Winter?

Lisa Lynn December 3, 2013 Homestead Animals, Steps to Self Sufficiency

 

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See also How To Get More Eggs From Your Laying Hens and How to Feed Your Laying Hens for the Best Egg Production.

 

Do Laying Hens Lay All Year?

Many newbie chicken keepers will wonder if they can gather eggs from their hens all year. The good news is, with proper conditions, your hens are capable of laying eggs in the winter. There are a few things to take into consideration if you would like fresh eggs year ’round.

The Minorca on the left is going into molt and the Cornish X hen is my best layer right now! That really surprised me. 

Daylight Hours

Chickens, like most birds, normally would not lay eggs all year. But you can trick their bodies into thinking it’s summer by keeping a bright light on a timer in their coop in the winter. For best results, have the timer turn the light on early in the morning and turn it off again late in the evening. Hens need approximately 15 hours of light each day to keep their reproductive system active. If you live close to the equator you shouldn’t need to trick your hens, because you will have the proper daylight hours to keep them in laying condition.

Nutrition

Without proper nutrition, your hens will stop laying and use the calories, vitamins, and minerals in their food to keep their bodies healthy. Be sure that they have a good quality layer ration to provide the nutrition they need for egg production. Extra protein is great if their production is slowing down and you can’t find another reason for the reduction in eggs.

Are They Molting?

If your hens are going into a molt, they will stop laying until the molt is complete. This can take anywhere from 2 months to 3 or 4 months. There are some feed formulas available that help provide the extra nutrition they need to get them through the molt quickly. You can also cull the molting hens if they are getting older or you don’t care to feed them through this process.

Flock Rotation

You’ve probably hear of crop rotation, but how about ‘flock rotation?’ A good method of keeping eggs coming on a regular basis, is to keep hens of different ages in your flock. If you start out with all of your hens at the same age, it is likely that they will all go into a molt around the same time too, leaving you with an empty egg basket. Instead, start with a good number of pullets for your family and when they are 6 to 10 months old, get your next batch of pullets started. They should start laying and be in full production before your first batch of hens goes into molt. At that point you can decide if you want to cull the older hens, feed them through the molt, or sell them as stewing hens on Craigslist. (Be aware that in some areas, it will be more difficult to find anyone who wants your older hens.)

One dozen duck eggs in a neat little row.

Try Raising Ducks for Eggs!

If you have trouble keeping your chickens laying well over the winter, try raising a few ducks for eggs. Sometimes ducks will lay better in the winter compared to chickens. My 5 Pekin hens are giving me 4 or 5 eggs almost every day!

Gather Those Eggs Often!

Unless you keep your chicken coop heated (which is not a good idea), you should check several times a day for eggs and bring them in the house. You don’t want those precious eggs to freeze or they will be difficult to mix and will have a somewhat rubbery texture when cooked.

Do you have laying hens? Do they lay eggs all winter? Have you found a method to encourage better egg production in the winter?