During our childhoods, many of us enjoyed the story of Old MacDonald’s farm where happy animals spent their days running around the barnyard. And although this mythical image of farming persists, little could be further from the truth for nearly 300 million hens in this country.
Across the country, factory farms confine nearly 300 million egg-laying hens in barren cages so small that they can’t even spread their wings. These birds are unable to engage in many of their most important natural behaviors, such as perching, preening or walking on solid ground. Each bird is allotted around 67 square inches of floor space inside its cage – less than a sheet of notebook paper.
According to professor John Webster of the Department of Clinical Veterinary Science at the University of Bristol, conventional battery cages cause “severe restriction on the hens’ ability to meet their behavioral needs for grooming, stretching, wing-flapping, nest building, and litter bathing. Extreme confinement in barren wire cages also predisposes to external injuries to feet and feathers, and exacerbates the development of osteoporosis, leading to bone fractures and chronic pain.”
These abuses are so extreme that many grocery chains, food service providers, and schools are now distancing themselves from battery cages. Two of the largest natural food store chains in the country, Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, refuse to sell eggs from caged birds. Another major retailer, Trader Joe’s, won’t sell battery cage eggs under its brand name. And Bon Appetit Management Company is phasing out its use of eggs from caged hens at all 400 of its cafes nationwide, including corporate campuses such as Cisco, Adidas, Best Buy, and Nordstrom. Even corporations such as America Online are switching to the exclusive use of cage-free eggs in their employee cafeterias.
Schools across the country are also taking a stand against battery cages. So far, more than 85 schools have enacted policies to eliminate or greatly reduce their use of eggs from caged hens. This list includes Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Georgetown University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of New Hampshire.
Prominent U.S. political figures have joined the growing opposition to the cruelties inherent in egg factory farming. Senator Robert Byrd, D-W. Va., explained on the floor of the U.S. Senate, “Egg-laying hens are confined to battery cages. Unable to spread their wings, they are reduced to nothing more than an egg-laying machine.” He continued, “These creatures feel; they know pain. They suffer pain just as we humans suffer pain.”
On the other side of the aisle Matthew Scully, former speechwriter for President Bush, has proposed a “Humane Farming Act” that would call for farming reforms, including a ban on battery cages. He states that “animals are more than ever a test of our character, of mankind’s capacity for empathy and for decent, honorable conduct and faithful stewardship.”
University students should be proud that University Housing is exploring a switch to cage-free eggs. By discontinuing its use of eggs from caged hens, the University can further demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility.
Josh Balk is the Outreach Coordinator for the Factory Farming Campaign of The Humane Society of the United States