What Are Cage Eggs?
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Cage Eggs?
Cage eggs are produced from hens that are housed in cages inside large, climate-controlled sheds.
How Are Cage Eggs Produced?
Modern cage farming systems are clean, automated and highly efficient. Modern sheds include automated feeding, watering, climate control kept at 23°C, ventilation, lighting, and manure and egg collection.
What Are Some Advantages of Cage Egg Farming?
- Hens rarely get sick and have lower rates of mortality due to the controlled cage environment. It’s also easier for farmers to identify and treat sick hens as they are housed in smaller groups.
- Cage hens avoid injury from in-fighting within the flock as smaller groups of five or six per cage means the birds are able to establish a stable pecking order.
- Cage hens are protected from predators such as foxes, feral cats and birds of prey.
What Are Some Disadvantages of Cage Egg Farming?
- Hens in cage systems have reduced social interaction with other hens.
- Cage hens are unable to roam and explore as they are confined to a relatively small space.
- In most cage farms, the hens are unable to practice some natural behaviours like nesting and dust-bathing.
- Cage hens are generally unable to perch, which leads to lower bone strength.
Are Cage Eggs Less Nutritious?
Eggs have one of the highest nutrient-to-kilojoule ratios of any food source, containing a high percentage of vitamins and minerals. Importantly, the nutritional value of eggs remains consistent, regardless of whether they are cage, barn-laid, or free range as all hens are fed a grain-based diet.