Hens in Australia still suffer the torture of living in a cage so small they can hardly move. They certainly cannot flap their wings. They see no natural daylight, get no fresh air.
There are half a billion chickens in factory farms in Australia annually. Battery hens who lay eggs in cages are given space smaller than A4 size. Meat chickens are fast grown so that many are crippled before sent to slaughter at just five weeks old.
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| Inside Battery Hen Farm |
It takes as long as 30 hours for a battery hen to produce just one cage egg and the hens endure terrible torture. Unwanted chicks are gassed or ground up alive. Over 12 million male chicks one day old are murdered each year, while female chicks have the tips of their beaks sliced off.
Cages in battery farms are tierd and crammed. Hens have no freedom to be natural, stand on a perch, dust bath or move. Their bodies lose feathers and their bones get weak and break.
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| "Meat"Chicken |
The battery hens are killed when their egg laying declines at around 18 months. They would normally live for 12 years or more. They are stuffed into crates and sent to the slaughterhouse where they are left hanging by their legs on a slaughter chain waiting to have their throats cut.
Various chemicals and drugs are used in the production of poultry to reduce risk of disease and encourage growth. Some sectors believe this alone is a health risk .
Personally I believe in nature and if you have to eat chicken and eggs then best have a natural free happy chicken roaming outside like they were meant to.
If you want to help Stop Battery Hen Farming in Australia contact Animals Australia
