Cage eggs make up 40% of supermarket egg purchases in Australia. This means there a thousands of caged egg farms in Queensland alone. 

Not only it's a cruel source of farming, these hens have no quality of life. These girls spend 18 months in the same cage with other hens. Afterwards they are auctioned off for slaughter due to decreased laying e.g once a day instead of 3-4 times a day. A normal hen will lay 3-5 eggs a week. 

These girls are unable to roam, strech their legs, peck grass or sleep on soft bedding. These girls have never seen outside. 

Due to the poor conditions these girls are kept in, some don't make it to 18 months. Their little bodies are over worked, pale,  weak and deformed due to not moving for a very long period of time. Cage hens are generally unable to perch, which leads to lower bone strength. Imagine sleeping on a cage floor everyday for 2 years and not being able to move or see daylight.  How would you feel? 

A hen is declared 'spent' when her egg production drops at around 72 weeks of age. At this point she is considered less profitable and removed from the production system.

The process of removing 'spent' hens is known as 'depopulation' where hens are manually caught by human 'catchers' (up to 5 hens per hand) and placed into crates ready for transport.

There can be welfare issues during depopulation. For example, time pressures and rough handling often lead to injuries such as bone fractures. Fracture rates tend to be higher in battery cages during depopulation, mainly because of the risks and difficulties involved in removing birds through narrow cage doors. Due to lack of exercise, birds in battery cages also have weaker bones than birds from alternative systems and their legs or wings may snap. 

Spent hens are either killed on farm and composted, or transported to an abattoir for slaughter. Some of the meat from spent hens may be exported, while other options may include pet food, and lower-quality processing meat for human consumption (for example in soups, stock, chicken nuggets and other processed meats). 

Why am I starting this petition? 

I recently rescued some ex battery hens from a caged egg farm from a rescue organisation.  My girls came from a farm out of Pittsworth.  These girls were lucky and were given a chance of freedom.  They were bought from the organisation as I mentioned earlier these girls are auctioned off to the highest bidder.  

My girls were in very poor condition.  One of my girls has brain damage and had to learn to walk, one has a Hernia and a broken leg (due to rough handling) and the other one was completely naked and weak. They had to learn how to walk on grass, learn to socialise with each other,  learn to try new foods, learn to dust bathe and learn how to scratch the grass and dirt. It's was heartbbraking to see what these girls have been through.  With some vet treatment and lot of love and care, they haven't looked back. 

I want to end caged egg/barn farms in Australia completely.  It's very unethical and cruel. We wouldn't treat a cat or dog like this, why should thede poor chickens be treated like this?