Ban Cages For Hens Now!

From 2022 the traditional battery cage will no longer be in use and in its place will be colony cages. These new cages still do not meet the most basic of a hens behavioural needs and provide the equivalent of a credit card of space more per bird than the incumbent cage type. This is effectively the same size as an A4 sheet of paper for each of them for their entire lives. Typically layer hens are kept for about eighteen months before being euthanized so the sheds can be cleaned and new hens are brought in. In a colony cage this means the birds endure sore feet from a wire floor, a metal rod in place of a tree branch for perching, a roughened plastic mat in place of a dust bath to attend to mites and dimmed synthetic lighting in place of the natural sunlight. Add to this the bullying that goes on due to competition for space, the de-beaking that occurs at birth and the general inability to experience “life” in the full meaning - it’s a sad short existence.

Many countries (Austria, Belgium and Switzerland) have already begun to phase these cages out or have already achieved this (Germany, Netherland). If we now introduce these systems we will appear behind best business practice. It makes no sense for New Zealand to adopt this practice and we should look for something that is a better fit with our ‘Clean, Green’ image. Intensive farming of any species is a direct contradiction to that. This page is dedicated to ensuring our working hens are at least provided a decent working life – please help us stop the use of cages permanently.

As the spokesperson for Ban Chicken Layer Cages (BCLC) we are fighting both the businesses using these cages and the courts that want to approve the use of them. 100% of funds collected will be used in the battle to keep hens out of cages.