The majority of egg-laying hens in the US are confined to barren battery cages and can't even spread their wings. This cruel practice may be coming to an end as the Humane Society and the United Egg Producers reached an agreement that will move toward protection for all egg-laying hens.
Together, they will push for federal legislation that would eliminate the construction of new battery cages, and require all new cages to have enough room for the chickens to actually act like chickens. The proposed legislation would also include mandatory labeling for all eggs, which would inform consumers if the eggs came from hens that lived in a cage or in the pasture. Forced molting and starvation practices that manipulate egg cycle would also be gone.
In my ideal world. there wouldn't be any chickens in cages. All farm animals would be sustainably and ethically raised, but this is certainly a huge step in the right direction.
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