The hens are able to socialise, perch, stretch their wings and express other natural behaviours as they would in a free-range system but without the threat of outdoor predators or exposure to the elements. However, like with free-range hens in these systems may be more prone to disease, parasites and aggressive behaviours. Organic and free-range systems are similar, with hens being able to access the outdoors during the day, but housed in secure sheds at night.
The one key difference is that organic eggs are produced without the use of any chemicals. Stocking densities on organic farms also tend to be lower and bird welfare can be higher. If eggs are organic, it means they've been produced entirely without the use of chemicals.
So organic eggs are laid by hens that have been fed only organically grown grain — that is, grain grown without pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilisers. These chemicals aren't used on the pastures the hens occupy either. Because Australian egg suppliers can't produce organic eggs in cage or barn systems, all organic eggs should be free-range by definition. Use of antibiotics or vaccines in the hens themselves is allowed only in exceptional circumstances, and the treated hens may be separated from the rest of the flock afterwards.
But standards for what constitutes both 'organic' and 'free-range' can vary. So, as ever, it can be hard for consumers to be sure they're getting exactly what they paid for. Animal welfare considerations are among the reasons why people choose to buy free-range eggs.
Many consumers believe that 'free range' should mean:. Unfortunately, images of contented, clucking chooks flapping their wings, dust bathing, socialising and roaming around open green pastures aren't always the reality.
Animal welfare experts, such as RSPCA chief scientist Dr Bidda Jones, believe that chooks suffer stress unless they're able to satisfy their basic behavioural needs. According to Jones, they need:. They're your best bet if you love egg products but want to be sure the hens laying them are being treated well.
Most eggs are produced in a way that severely hurts chickens. About 97 percent of egg-laying hens in the United States are confined to what are known as "battery cages," holding 5 to 10 birds each , with United Egg Producers' minimum standards mandating 67 square inches per bird — a smaller space than a standard 8. These spaces severely disrupt the laying process, causing huge pain to birds. There are three broad alternatives to traditional cages: barn systems, aviary systems, and "enriched cages.
Bailey Norwood and Jayson L. Lusk shows how the four options compare:. In barn systems, a large flock gets an entire barn within which to roam freely, with food and water provided at various locations, perches available, sawdust for scratching, and nests for hen to lay in, usually with a curtain to provide privacy for the hen.
Norwood and Lusk estimate that the typical barn provides square inches per bird, nearly triple the amount given to battery caged hens. Aviaries are like barns, but with multiple floors at different heights that birds can fly or walk up to. That might give the birds more space, depending on the floor space allotted, and it makes it easier for them to run away from bullies in the flock. Both aviaries and barns can provide access to the outdoors, making them "free range" systems.
In the enriched cage system, birds are still in cages but get "more space, a small perch, a pan for dust bathing, and a private nest for egg laying. Most significantly, mortality is significantly higher: Norwood and Lusk estimate that the mortality rate in cage systems is 3 percent, while it's 7 percent for cage-free, 9 percent for free-range, and 13 percent for organic.
At first glance, that's a point in favor of an enriched cage approach, not a cage-free approach. It's not clear how much of this is due to differences in confinement conditions, and how much is just due to differences in the type of chicken being raised in each environment. Brown hens tend to work better in cage-free environments, whereas white hens are preferred by cage-egg producers, for example, and experiments have found that when raised in identical environments, brown hens have higher mortality rates anyway.
But in practice, what's causing the deaths doesn't really matter. Buying more cage-free eggs these days means bringing into existence more brown hens with shorter lives and fewer white hens with longer lives; you have to weigh that against the higher quality of life the brown hens get while they exist. Luckily, there are relatively rigorous ways to weigh those factors. One is FOWEL , a mathematical model used to estimate the welfare of laying hens under various conditions on a scale of 0 to 10, 10 being the best.
So cage-free is better than caged. And this matters not just at a macro level, but when it comes to individuals' spending decisions about eggs. A gentle tilt in every box allows the eggs to roll onto a conveyor belt and be carried out of the shed automatically. Want to see a free range egg farm for yourself? Australian Eggs invites you to take an inside look at a free range egg farm in the video below. Terminology such as cage free, barn-laid and free range can often confuse consumers. Cage free and barn-laid eggs are the same thing and in this farming system the hens live entirely within an indoor barn environment - but not in cages.
Cage free and free range systems have several similarities. Most notably, both systems provide indoor floor-based housing systems equipped with nest boxes, perches, and automatic feeding and watering systems. Hens in cage free and free range systems can move about freely within the shed. Each production system comes with its own benefits and downsides and in each system farmers work hard to maximise the health and welfare of the hens. Federal legislation defining what constitutes free range egg farming came into effect in early The maximum outdoor stocking density for free range egg farming is 10, hens per hectare of land or one hen per square metre.
Each egg farm must state its outdoor stocking density on egg cartons. Importantly, free range hens are free to choose when to go outside and how long to stay there. Some hens will go outside each day as soon as the doors open and stay there all day.
Other hens will prefer to stay inside on a particular day to feel safe and secure and be closer to feed and water. How does the egg test work? What is the meaning of free-range eggs? Free range-eggs vs organic eggs Much like free-range hens, organic hens enjoy unlimited access to outdoor pastures during the daytime. Free-range eggs Free-range eggs have come from birds which, during the daytime, enjoy unlimited access to outdoor pastures.
Barn eggs Barn-raised hens have the freedom to roam freely indoors and perform many of their natural behaviours, like dust bathing and scratching. Looking for free-range eggs near you? Do white hens lay white eggs There is no relation between feather colour and eggshell colour or yolk colour. Higher welfare bacon. Higher welfare salmon. Higher welfare sausages. Higher welfare chicken. How to poach an egg. Spaghetti carbonara. Egg and cress baguette. Curried eggs with lentils.
0コメント