If all chickens had to be cageless

I have to give you a little info on cage free chickens. Technology is here that the manure is cleaned out every day so they are not standing in there own manure. Egg, Water and Feeding are all automated. But you are right on the 2 topics that the price would go up and that the pecking order can be bad.

 

I was talking about the inside birds not outside birds for cleaning. for the pecking order there is really no way to clear it up. For mine If I see one getting picked on I will separate it out and put it in a small group. Luckly Ive only needed to take 2 out. The industry way to control the pecking order is beat trimming.

 

If it's made illegal to cage them, then you won't be able to transport them either.

 

I am assuming you are writing in relation to the CA proposition about caged animals? If so, here is the specific language : "The proposed act prohibits the confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs" this absolutely DOES NOT include our 4x4 guidelines for hen houses. It deals with the most extreme forms of confinement, which I don't think anyone here can claim is humane in any way. I don't think being "cageless" is on the table anywhere for legislation, and I doubt it will be. There is a lot of room for improvement in the way this nation has raised livestock commercially (feedlots and battery hens) for the last 50 years, but wanting some change doesn't mean it's going to be as extreme as "everything must be cageless".

Yes, change would make eggs more expensive, but who says all food must always be so cheap? We in America spend a much smaller percentage of our income on food than the rest of the developed world, and less than we ever have before in this country. Which, by the way, has contributed to the strangling out of our small farmers. I for one would like to see the return of that profession as an option for our young people, and paying more for humanely raised animal products is part of that equation.

 

4) No pens, true free range, good luck gathering eggs, controlling diseases, predators, etc. I'd hate to think of the cost of eggs in this system.

I would imagine that disease control would be much easier in a free range operation due to birds not being confined in close proximity to one another. I would put the health of my free range flock up against any penned, or caged, flock any day.

I realize you are referring to a commercial operation but the fresh air, sunshine and exercise of a truly free range operation would only contribute to good health, no detract from it.

As far as gathering eggs, I would imagine this would be done the same way it was in the days of the large chicken farms, before the techniques they have in place now....the same way I do...train them to use the nests and eliminate other potential nesting areas.

Predators? A few GPs and an acceptable loss ratio from air attacks should take care of most predators in the day. At night they would be in the buildings anyway and safe from predation.​

 

NIce Try Seedcorn, but this one will get locked too.

As to cage free not being in trouble, one must look at the vague language. If hens stretch their wings and have the potential to touch another hen then the cagefree operation is in violation of the proposed law.

Jim

 

if the exact wording is as above, then it doesn't say they must be able to stand side by side and be a wingspan apart from eachother, but that they must be able to stretch out their wings. Four birds could stretch out their wings in a two foot cage, if they took turns. Not advocating it, just saying... What is the difference anyhow, two feet, three feet, they still have a raw deal if they are a commercial egg layer.