Do the living conditions of battery cage hens affect their well-being?
Yes! Cage hens are not happy hens. Hens suffer enormous emotional and physical distress in battery cages.
Their bones become weak and brittle, they lose most of their feathers
and their claws become deformed from standing on a sloping, wire mesh
floor.
They are unable to carry out any of their natural behaviours. They can't perch or roost for safety, they can't dust-bathe, they can't peck at the ground, and they can't make a nest. They can't even flap their wings, as the space they live in is so small.
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Barn Hens
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What are
barn eggs?
Barn eggs are laid by hens that are free to move around indoors. They
are able to walk and flap their wings. They have deep litter in which to
scratch and dust-bathe, and there are easily accessible feed and water
stations placed
throughout the shed.
Above the litter is a central raised platform where
the hens roost at night. Nesting boxes are placed above the platform,
where
the hens can lay their eggs in comfort and privacy.
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Free Range Hens
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What are free range eggs?
Free range eggs are laid by hens that are free during the day to range
outdoors in paddocks, where they have plenty of room to forage,
dust-bathe,
stretch and flap their wings, and perform their natural behaviours.
They
have an indoor area in which to shelter, feed and roost at night, and
nesting boxes in which to lay their eggs in privacy. They are kept in
small flocks.
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How can I tell which eggs are which?
Don’t be fooled!
Not every carton emblazoned with words like “free ranging” or “barn raised” actually contains eggs that deserve these descriptions.
Even if eggs really are free range or barn eggs, they might come from a producer who also supplies the market with cage eggs - and it is impossible to know the true origin of the eggs once they are in their cartons and on supermarket shelves!
Royal New Zealand
SPCA Approved -
Guaranteed Cruelty Free
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One way of making sure the eggs you buy are produced in a consistently
humane environment is to look for the SPCA Blue Tick logo on the carton.
To earn the right to carry our logo, an egg producer must meet our high
welfare standards. Our accredited egg producers undergo thorough and
regular auditing in order to ensure they continue to comply with our strict
standards.
For a list of cruelty free egg brands that carry our Blue Tick logo, please click here.
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How can I be sure the eggs I purchase are from hens that have been well treated and cared for?
The SPCA Blue Tick logo will tell you for sure whether the eggs have been produced under a barn or free range system. In either case, the logo will be your guarantee that the hens who laid the eggs are well treated and cared for throughout their lives.
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Can I make a real difference?
Yes, you can!
By choosing free range or barn eggs you will be joining a worldwide movement aimed at dragging food production into the twenty-first century.
Across the globe, consumers are voting with their wallets in favour of food produced without the needless suffering of birds and animals. Egg accreditation schemes similar to the Royal New Zealand SPCA’s scheme are thriving in Britain, continental Europe, Canada, the United States and Australia.
None of us can achieve much on our own. But, together, we can make a huge difference to the way our hens are treated!
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What can I do?
You can send a message to battery egg producers in the language they understand, the language of money!
Instead of buying eggs produced under these cruel conditions, you can opt for Royal New Zealand SPCA Approved barn or free range eggs.
Look for the Blue Tick at your local supermarket.
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Freedom Farms bacon and ham have officially attained SPCA approval for their humane farming methods. 
