Caged eggs are where hens spend their life in a small and artificial environment designed to maximise their egg laying ability. A chicken can have anywhere between three and twenty mates in their cage, depending on their body size. This is even more horrific when you consider that each cage is allocated a space less than an A4 sheet of paper. Chickens suffer many mental and physical affects on their health from batter hens. There are also substantial differences between caged eggs and free range eggs.

Hundreds of thousands of chickens are harmed each year (physically and mentally) by being in an artificial environment (called battery hens). Physically, each hen is given about 67-76 square inches of space. Research has shown that the hens have barely enough room to move their wings, causing their muscles and bones to eventually deteriorate, due to the lack of movement. Even more horrifically, when their skeletal systems are weak, their spinal cords can deteriorate causing them to be paralysed. Plenty of hens each year die from dehydration in their cage. Mentally, hens can go through very harsh emotional times. They endure many mood changes due to the unpleasant environment, some being moments of delight then trouble, and energy then disdain. These moments are also accompanied by dread and torment. This is just touching the surface on all the pain and suffering chickens go through in overcrowded cages.

All of this pain that chickens go through just to make money for companies is not even worth it, because caged eggs actually taste and are a lot worse for you than free range eggs. Not only are the caged eggs full of hormones, pesticides and antibiotics, they also contain inflammatory fat profiles and salmonella. The best type of eggs are pasture free range organic eggs (free range eggs for short). They have a much deeper yellow/orange yolk, twice as many omega-3 fatty acids, three times more vitamin E, seven times more pro-vitamin A beta-carotene, a quarter less saturated fat and a third less cholesterol.

You may be wondering why people even buy caged eggs instead of free range eggs, and there is no reason! If you buy free range eggs, you are not only choosing a much healthier and better tasting egg, but you are discouraging the further development of caged eggs. It is simple supply and demand economics, if people demand more free range eggs, the supply of free range eggs will increase, and the reliance on caged eggs will decrease. In short, by going to the supermarket and spending an extra two dollars on free range eggs, you are reducing the amount of chickens harmed throughout Australia and providing your body with better nutrients. We have also made a petition that is not only effective in the way that it is easy to sign up, but with your support, we can also lobby the government into slowing down and even banning the production of caged eggs in Australia.