The Chickens that Lay our Eggs

For commercial egg-laying hens, or so-called ‘battery hens’ (hens permanently confined in small battery cages), life is no better. Twenty-two million laying hens live trapped in a space that’s about 20 cm × 25 cm for life. Currently only three per cent of laying hens are free range in South Africa. Also, besides being treated unkindly, as with the chickens that we eat, these chickens are often pumped full of growth hormones and antibiotics, which can wreak havoc on our health.