The egg industry is changing. There are many issues with the industrial farming of chickens, but slowly, changes are being made and new ideas are being proposed! Recently, research about the fate of male chicks has been released. Unfortunately, male chicks are considered worthless to the industry. They cannot produce eggs, and are therefore unable to create profit. For this reason, they are brutally destroyed on the day they hatch. The research is seeking a way of determining the gender of a chick as close the the laying of the egg as possible. If this technology is made commercially viable, it could reduce the horrendous suffering faced by male chicks worldwide! The prospect of these changes may sound promising, but hens still suffer in cages- you may be wondering what you can do to help now. Most obviously, you can buy free range eggs, and check to ensure that the eggs used as ingredients in other products are free range. The chances are, if the words ‘free range’ are not used, they probably aren't! Another way of ensuring that your eggs are from hens in a high welfare environment is by looking for the RSPCA assured logo. RSPCA assured is a scheme dedicated to the ethical and compassionate treatment of farm animals. If there’s an RSPCA Assured label on the packaging of the eggs that you buy, you know the farms - and everyone else involved in the animals’ lives - have been assessed and meet RSPCA animal welfare standards. If you really want to make a difference to a hens life, you may even want to consider rescuing your very own ex-commercial laying hens. All my hens are rescued, and they are some of the most rewarding, fascinating and truly amazing pets you could have! Most rescue hens can live for many years after their release and will even continue to lay eggs! If you are interested in the idea of rescuing hens, the BHWT (British Hen Welfare Trust) have plenty of information on their website, and organise regular rescues up and down the country. If it is clear to see that customers do not want hens to be kept in inadequate cages, the government will respond. Although it may not always seem like it, customers have more power to make change than any other group of people. If we refuse to buy products that have caused animal suffering, changes will be made. Please like my Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/Cagecampaign/ ) and/ or follow the campaign on Twitter ( https://mobile.twitter.com/lucygavaghan ) Thank you all for your amazing support and enjoy the rest of your weekend! Lucy Email: lucygavaghan.cagecampaign@gmail.com