More Egg Farmers Trashing Cages

The Associated Press Reports, "Egg farms are increasing their production of cage-free eggs, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to convert barns by tearing out cages, installing new floors, reconfiguring feed and water lines, and changing ventilation systems."

Operations Manager for Fort Recovery Equity, Jerry Knapke, says that the market for cage-free eggs is growing.

"We see a slow, steady growth," he told the Sun-Sentinel.

Fort Recovery Equity is the nation’s ninth-largest egg producer; it has 60 contract farms and has been investing in cage-free farms. But Knapke says that within the next six months, only about 5 percent of the 6.5 million chickens raised by the farmers will be cage-free.

Senior Director of the Humane Society of the United States’ Factory Farming Campaign, Paul Shapiro, says that cages limit hens from spreading their wings and walking.

Joy Mench, a University of California, Davis professor of animal science helped write animal-welfare guidelines for the egg industry. He agrees that cages do restrict animal behaviors but insists that farms using cages can run clean and efficiently.

According to United Egg Producers, an estimated 5 percent of eggs produced in the nation are cage-free.

Raising cage-free chickens is more expensive than traditional methods; thus, cage-free and organic eggs are more expensive. Organic chicken farms use organic feed only and allow birds to roam outdoors.

According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a dozen large Grade A caged-eggs are an average $1.18 while cage-free eggs run for about $2.58 and organic for about $3.53.