No Battery Eggs

Arguably the most inhumanely treated animals in all of agribusiness, about 95% of the nearly 300 million laying hens in the United States are confined in barren, wire "battery-cages" so restrictive that the hens can't even spread their wings. With no opportunity to engage in many of their natural behaviors, including nesting, dust bathing, perching, and walking, these birds endure lives wrought with suffering and frequently endure physical traumas due to constantly standing on and rubbing against their unnatural wire cages. These practices, if done to dogs or cats, would be grounds for felony level criminal charges.

In 1999, CAA began working on its Ban Battery Cages (now No Battery Eggs) campaign, which culminated in the open rescue of over ten injured and dying egg-laying hens from a battery-cage facility, the first such rescue in the US. CAA's investigation and rescue campaign was based on a similar campaign which was first done by Animal Liberation Victoria in Australia.

Today CAA works with schools, restaurants, and food manufacturers across Minnesota to phase out their use of battery eggs--instead encouraging them to switch to vegan, egg-free alternatives or cage-free eggs that meet or surpass the "Certified Humane" guidelines. We recognize that cage-free hens do not live cruelty-free lives, for example male chicks are killed upon birth and the hens are debeaked without anesthetics, may not be able to go outside, and get slaughtered after their production rates decline. Cage-free hens, however, are able to walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests-all instinctive behaviors permanently denied to hens confined in battery cages.

CAA volunteers have successfully worked with the following establishments to switch to cage-free eggs:

• Hamline University
• Pizza Lucé Restaurants
  
• St. Cloud State University
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Help us tangiably improve the lives of thousands of hens by getting involved in our campaign to free hens from the confines of cruel cages--e-mail us today!