Break up with eggs

Egg facts

On Australian egg farms, millions of hens are treated as egg-laying machines. While consumers are sold the idea that cage-free and free-range hens live “free” lives, the reality is that all laying hens are forced to live as if their natural instincts and behaviours are negotiable. Unfortunately, all systems involve cruelty to animals and foster the idea that animals are nothing more than individuals to be exploited for profits.

Caged systems

Hens in cages are given less than an A4 page of space each. They will never stand on solid ground, stretch their wings, or exhibit any of their natural behaviours, like dustbathing or nest building.

Cage-free & free-range systems

While hens in cage-free and free-range systems are allowed to walk around, they still suffer both physically and mentally. In nature, chickens establish a pecking order, however, on farms, they are unable to do this due to the number of individuals. This can result in severe bullying, cannibalism, and increased stress.

All systems

On most farms, hens are de-beaked to reduce the occurrence of cannibalism. This involves using a hot blade or infrared laser to sear off the tip of the beak - without pain relief. A chicken’s beak is incredibly sensitive as it contains nerves, and chickens have shown signs of chronic pain months after the procedure.

All systems support the killing of male chicks, using live maceration, gassing, and even suffocation. As a portion of eggs are hatched to replace egg-laying hens, hatched males are considered a waste product to the egg industry, as they cannot lay eggs and do not grow large enough to be raised for meat. While few males are kept to replace roosters in breeder flocks, every year, Australia kills approximately 6 million of them.

Layer hens have been selectively bred to produce approximately 300 eggs in a year. This is drastically more than their wild counterparts who produce just 10-15 a year.

After 12 months of laying, all hens (who are only 18-months-old), are considered "spent" as their egg production slows. As a result, the hens are slaughtered, a process known to the industry as "depopulation". They are most commonly gassed to death, however, they can also be sent to a slaughterhouse where they are shackled by their fragile legs and have their throats slit.

Why should I break up with eggs?

While you may think that your choice to remove eggs from your diet might not make a difference, this isn’t true. Our individual choices matter and are paving the way for a more compassionate world for animals. Consumer demand is what drives the industry and is why farming exists in the first place.

The rise in consumer demand for free-range products shows that people are aware of some of the cruelties within the industry, but not all of them. This is at no fault of their own, as the industry has done an excellent job at keeping the maceration of male chicks and killing of spent layer hens a secret.

Unfortunately, consumers are still demanding products that contain egg - such as biscuits, muffins, custards, tartes, quiches, etc. - and these businesses are supporting caged farms to lower their costs.

By leaving eggs out of your diet completely, you are making a conscious effort to avoid the cruelty associated with egg production, and creating a demand for ethical alternatives.

Latest Exposé

Animal Liberation has exposed the legalised cruelty toward hens since 1976. To view some of our past campaigns and exposés on the Australian egg industry, click here.