You MUST read this. It is the life cycle of battery hens. If you don't want to, you don't have to read it. All I can do is warn you that it it sad. Nothing grafic, just plain old sad. (Mods, if you don't want this on BYC, I wouldn't mind if you locked the thread.)
LINK - http://www.upc-online.org/spring05/lifeofhen.htm
LINK - http://www.upc-online.org/spring05/lifeofhen.htm