Cage-Free Eggs Are NOT Cruelty-Free!

Posted by Erin on June 23, 2023

Let’s be real: People don’t want to support animal abuse. That’s why consumers have become more opposed to buying battery-cage eggs, now that the horrific conditions hens are subjected to on conventional factory farms have been exposed. In response, the egg industry has created appealing-sound labels—such as “cage-free,” “free-range,” “free-roaming,” and “organic”—to attract more customers. But these labels are extremely misleading. Here’s what the egg industry doesn’t want you to know: “Cage-free” does not mean “cruelty-free.”

Even when chickens on “cage-free” factory farms aren’t kept inside cramped battery cages, that doesn’t mean they’re allowed to roam free in green pastures or frolic in the sun. “Cage-free” and “free-range” farms can cram tens of thousands of birds shoulder to shoulder.

Hens on both small- and large-scale commercial “cage-free” farms still have short, painful lives. They are confined to filthy sheds and often aren’t given the chance to see sunlight, go outdoors, or socialize in a natural setting. Hens on “free-range” farms are given outdoor access, but it’s often just a hole cut in a shed wall that leads to a muddy pen—and typically for only very short periods of time.

When they’re chicks, part of their tender beak is cut off with a hot blade—without any pain relief.

They sustain painful lung lesions, breast blisters, and ammonia burns from sitting on unsanitary floors covered with urine and feces. A shocking 97% of hens on “cage-free” factory farms have broken sternums! And day-old male chicks at hatcheries are often ground up alive or thrown in the trash to suffocate or be crushed to death, since they don’t lay eggs and are considered useless to the farms. 💔

What You Can Do to Help Chickens

The egg industry uses more than 300 million hens each year for egg production. It doesn’t want people to find out about its cruel practices because they’d stop buying eggs altogether if they knew the truth.

The best way to help prevent chickens from suffering in the egg industry is to avoid eating eggs. Fortunately, there are a number of delicious, satisfying vegan egg options that you can easily add to your diet. Check out some of our favorites here!