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Government, animal welfare groups and the egg industry have agreed to improvements in animal welfare, which includes increasing the minimum space allowance for hens in cages to 550cm² per bird.
Hens in this system have the following welfare advantages:
- Protection from the elements and predators like eagles, snakes, foxes and feral cats.
- Lower occurrences of manure-borne diseases and parasites. Of all the production methods, health issues and hen mortalities are consistently the lowest in cage systems.
- Reduced need for veterinary medications and interventions, thereby minimising stress associated with bird handling.
- If a bird does become sick, cage-based housing makes it easier to identify and remove birds for treatment.
- Modern cage housing reduces the risk of disease such as avian influenza and other exotic diseases.
- Better protection from in-fighting and cannibalism.
Disadvantages include:
- Reduced social interaction with other birds.
- Considerably less space to roam, but enough space to stand upright and stretch their wings.
- Inability to display natural behaviours like nesting and dust-bathing in most cages.
- Conventional cages do not allow hens to perch which can result in lower bone strength and increased bone breakage during removal of hens at the end of lay.