How do commercial chickens lay eggs under such poor living conditions?

[Sarahmorgan]

How do commercial chickens lay eggs under such poor living conditions?

 

[Shadrach]

How do commercial chickens lay eggs under such poor living conditions?

It's horribly simple really. A hen will lay eggs in preference to taking care of herself. The most important thing for any species is to further the species at any cost.
It wasn't that long ago that battery hens suffered from oesteoporosis to the point they could no longer stand, but they still laid eggs. It was at the time that this problem was identified that higher levels of calcium were introduced in battery hen feeds.
A further factor is the increase in protein in the feed. Many non sex linked free range hens laying 100 eggs a year did so on diets with 12% and 10% protein.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Most biological functions continue despite the degree of misery or stress one endures. At times stress can temporarily turn off a switch in the brain, but never for long.
Women in horrendous living conditions or unhealthy relationships still manage to get pregnant & give birth.
Abused animals still procreate.
We are all Creatures of habit. People as well as animals get stressed whenever there are changes, especially when changes are forced upon us (such as death of a loved one). As far as horrid living conditions go, if that constant state of being, remains constant, no matter how nasty it is, that becomes the normal & consistent normalcy is what we all become accustomed to.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How do commercial chickens lay eggs under such poor living conditions?

Plow horses have been bred to pull a plow. Race horses have been bred to run fast with some endurance. You don't put a Clydesdale in a race, you don't put a Thoroughbred in front of a plow. They have not been bred for that.

Many dog breeds have been developed for specific purposes. There are so many different jobs they are called upon to do that there is no surprise in how many breeds there are. Some of these breeds in their modern form can have medical issues, such as bulldogs and their breathing issues, yet some people really love whatever breed they like, even if it has a potential medical issue.

The commercial laying hybrids typically used in the egg laying business have been developed to efficiently lay a lot of eggs under certain circumstances. Their bodies are relatively small so they don't need much feed to maintain their body, not like our larger dual purpose breeds. They are bred to take confinement well. Some of our larger DP birds also have been bred to take confinement well but some haven't. The commercial hybrids lay large eggs for their body size eating 16% protein feed. If the protein content goes up the eggs get larger. With their smaller bodies and already large eggs any increase in egg size can lead to laying issues like eggbound, internal laying, or prolapse. They are not fed a 16% protein feed because the commercial people are cruel and mean and enjoy torturing their chickens, it is a way to keep them healthy.

They have not been able to breed the natural decline in egg laying out of them, after the second adult molt the amount of egg laying declines enough that feeding them through a molt is not economical. So they are bred to lay for one or two seasons and then be replaced. The commercial egg laying hybrids have a deserved reputation for having medical problems, just like the commercial Cornish X meat birds. They have been bred to fulfill their function if raised and maintained in certain ways and not have long lives.

Due to public pressure some laws or regulations are on the books in some jurisdictions (not all) requiring increased space for commercial egg laying chickens. It does increase the cost of the eggs. I'm not sure how much it actually increases the quality of their life but it sure doesn't hurt. With 5,000 hens in one laying flock just a small increase in square feet per chicken can quicky add up. Many of us have pretty small flocks so an extra 1 sq ft per chicken isn't that much total space.

@Sarahmorgan I understand perception is reality to people. If you are familiar with a small backyard flock then that is your reality with chickens. It can be hard imagining any other method working. I see that on here all the time. My reality is that those commercial egg laying hybrids have been bred for certain conditions and a lot of study and effort has gone into determining what conditions work best for the most efficient production of eggs. If they are producing that many top quality eggs then I don't see those conditions as that poor for those chickens. I don't have those chickens and I don't manage mine like that. I would consider those poor conditions for my flock.

 

[sdm111]

Something a human cannot change is how, when and where a chicken will lay an egg. Is what I'm saying is, is it all that bad if they lay egg after egg? Actual real stressors will make a hen stop laying yet they lay day after day. Think about that. Is it really such poor conditions? Or is it perceived?

 

[Acre4Me]

Poor conditions? You know that in USA much of the eggs are from chickens not packed in cages. Although, they are kept inside for health and safety -HPAI, for example.

But, I’d ask you just how much should an egg cost? The more requirements or space required, the higher the cost. Eggs are very nutritious, and good food and should be accessible for purchase.

Not only ate eggs produced for eating, they are used in healthcare, and research too - for example, flu vaccines are grown up in eggs.

Well, now you are more informed than when you posted. You’re welcome.

 

[Mrs. K]

We are commercial cattle ranchers. So while I have never toured a chicken egg laying factory - I have done so with milk cows, and pigs. And of course I know cattle.

My point is, you are talking huge expenses to make money by animal husbandry. NO one makes money if animals are not kept as healthy as possible. Healthy animals produce at an optimum rate.

A bird laying eggs on a regular bases, that is active, and eating is a healthy bird. They watch those birds like a hawk, because disease do spread and can at an incredible rate. People who work with animals tend to like animals. Maybe we are more realistic with the idea not everything gets to live forever, but we like animals.

I am not saying that every farm and ranch is perfectly set up, and I am not saying people don't make mistakes, but if you are going to make money with animals - they have to be kept in good conditions.

Mrs K

 

[Mrs. K]

I am sure the statistic is right, and I realize that it does not fit the general rule of animal husbandry here. However, if this was killing birds, or making them sick or reducing their production - well people would not do it that way.

So it must work. Those animals are protected from wild temperature swings, from winter storms, from predators, from parasites and are active and laying.

A lot of our back yard places, - do have predator attacks, do pick up worms, do have to deal with weather...it is just not as cut and dried - This is wrong, that is right.

Mrs K

 

[Acre4Me]

I have never been inside one to know how the birds are treated
I do think it’s just wrong to force a bird out of its natural system of breaking in winter by using lights and forcing the eggs to continue
If they were meant to lay 365 days a year they would have been created that way

And yet, no chicken lays 365. But, contrary to your statement, the hens in most production facilities ARE products of selection for high egg laying ability.

 

[NatJ]

All I know is they use lighting to keep birds laying when they would normally take their natural break

That is actually an interesting question: is it natural for chickens to stop laying eggs in the winter? Or is that just something they do when we keep them in parts of the world where winter days are so short?

Chickens are descended from Red Junglefowl.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_junglefowl
"In many areas, red junglefowl breed during the dry portion of the year, typically winter or spring. This is true in parts of India, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. However, year-round breeding by red junglefowl has been documented in palm-oil plantations in Malaysia and also may occur elsewhere."
(wikipedia has lots of links to sources of that. But notice, it mentioned breeding in WINTER.)

Here is an article about feral chickens on the island of Kauai (descended from domestic chickens, but living like wild animals with no human care.)
https://www.livescience.com/57669-animal-sex-kauai-chickens.html
It says that some of them do breed all year long, while others are seasonal.
I would assume that no-one is making an effort to provide supplemental light for those feral chickens.

I agree that artificial light is not natural. But it's not natural to keep chickens in areas with heavy snow in the winter, either. They would naturally starve to death or freeze, so humans provide food and shelter to let them stay alive and hopefully healthy anyway. And it's not natural to keep chickens in areas with very short winter days, which leaves the question of how much light is really best for chickens in winter-- it may be more than what some climates can naturally provide. I would think is reasonable to add artificial light in winter up to at least 10 or 11 hours of light per day, just to allow the chickens enough time to eat and move around. (Yes, that is quite a ways from the 16 hours that is sometimes recommended to increase laying.)