EGG-cellent Eggs: A Look at Where Omelettes Come From
The egg industry. It's one of the most widely criticized agriculture industries in America today, due to whistle-blowers like PETA, who regularly post undercover videos of poultry operations, along with graphics like this one:
As a result, people are understandably angered. California introduced a bill called Proposition 2, which banned so-called "battery cages" in that state, along with imported eggs from chickens raised in battery cages. While I believe many people had good intentions, these decisions were made because people chose to listen to organizations with their own agendas instead of listening to the farmers who raised those chickens. It doesn't help that farmers are generally reluctant to speak up about these issues. They expect to be asked about their practices, instead of openly debating organizations like PETA and the HSUS. But people don't tend to ask. Instead, they prefer to be told. Anti-agriculture groups tell (even though what they say is usually false or out of context). This is why public perception of agriculture, especially animal agriculture, is so bad. Where am I going with this? Simple. That's exactly what is happening to the egg industry. No one has really stepped up to defend it. So instead of simply waiting idly to be asked about where eggs come from, I'm going to be bold and start TELLING people. That's the point of this blog post.
Which Came First?: The Life Cycle of a Hen
Laying hens start life in a hatchery. Depending on the type of operation, some egg farms have hatcheries built in. Some order their chicks from hatcheries that specialize in incubating and processing eggs to produce day-old chicks. The fertilized eggs go into incubators, some of which can hold thousands of eggs at a time. After 18 days, the unhatched eggs are moved to hatching baskets. At 21 days, the eggs hatch. At this point, they are removed from the hatchers and processed. The processing of chicks consists of separating the males from females, debeaking, and vaccinating. Female chicks are subject to vaccinations to prevent diseases, as well as debeaking. Debeaking is another widely criticized practice of the egg industry. There is no question that debeaking is certainly painful in the short term because the beak contains nerve endings. However, according to a paper called Welfare of Laying Hens- Directive on Debeaking in Layers and its Effect by R. Asha Rajini, debeaking at a younger age significantly reduced the chances of any long-term pain, and no instances of scar tissue or neuromas (disorganized growth of nerve cells at the site of a nerve injury. Also known as a "pinched nerve") were observed in chicks who had 1/3 of their beak trimmed at 1-10 days old (1). What does this mean? Debeaking pain, like the pain of getting one's ears pierced or getting a shot, is temporary and non-lingering when done to chicks. As such, it is necessary for proper animal welfare because debeaking prevents cannibalism and feather pecking in adult hens in the future. If' you're still skeptical of debeaking chicks, take a look at the pictures below and explain why a little bit of temporary pain when the birds are young isn't necessary in laying hens. The first picture is a hen that has been cannibalized, and the second hen is a victim of feather pecking. Debeaking is necessary for proper animal welfare, no if's, and's, or but's. Take a good, long look and tell me if you still think debeaking is cruel.
This also raises an interesting thought to me. Remember that sad PETA picture I posted in the introduction? It doesn't look like that hen had her beak trimmed. If that particular operation doesn't debeak its hens (maybe it's illegal in that state or something) that hen could very well be a victim of feather pecking, and therefore it's not the farmer's fault. It's the government (if debeaking is illegal in the place where that photo was taken) or the uninformed public (if debeaking is legal there, but the farmer caved to public pressure or the company he sells his eggs to no longer allows eggs from debeaked chickens because of consumer outcry) who are to blame. By posting videos of debeaked hens with sad music playing in the background, PETA has managed to create worse conditions for hens on egg farms. Way to go, animal activists! That was sarcasm, if you couldn't tell. While we're on the subject of PETA and chicks, I'd also like to address what happens to cull chicks, aka male chicks and female chicks that are born sick, deformed, etc. I will not lie to you, and in the interest of transparency, I refuse to beat around the bush. Yes, it's true that cull chicks are ground up alive. However, if you subscribe to the belief that animals are not people, and therefore we have a right to utilize them for our use, you don't need to boycott eggs because of what happens to male chicks. Why? When the hatchery installs the correct equipment, the chicks' deaths are nearly instantaneous. I'm a big supporter of industrial macerators which use huge, dense metal grinders that move extremely quickly and with a ton of force. Consult the gif below.
If it can shred cans nearly instantaneously, imagine what it can do to eggshells, unhatched eggs, and yes, chicks. There are plenty of undercover videos of these shredders in hatcheries, and the chicks die pretty much instantly. It's even been shown to be more humane than gassing. Another thing I've noticed is that shredders in undercover videos usually run much, much faster than the shredder in the gif above (This one probably isn't running as fast for safety reasons, since they have it just sitting out in the open). This means the chick's death is even faster; practically instantaneous. I would even go so far as to equate the speed of insensibility as similar to that of a captive bolt gun. The resulting by-product can be heat-treated and processed into hatchery by-product meal, which is extremely high in calcium because of the eggshells. It's also a good source of all essential amino acids, and is therefore a good feedstuff for swine rations because it's been shown to be capable of partially replacing soybean meal because it's a good source of lysine. Pigs usually need lysine supplemented in their diets because they are monogastric omnivores and cannot synthesize it for themselves. Hatchery by-product meal is also used in the diets of dairy cattle and egg-laying hens, again because of its high calcium content and complete amino acid profile (2). But enough about that.
When the pullets (female chicks) arrive at the growing barn, they are placed either into a cage or on a solid floor, depending on which type of housing they will be kept in as adults. They remain here for approximately 18 weeks, and during that time they are kept under strictly monitored, controlled environment conditions. Pullets only receive 10 hours of daylight per 24-hour period to prevent them from laying eggs prematurely, before they are fully mature. Once they reach 18 weeks of age, they are sold to a layer farm or transferred to a layer house owned by the same person. In the layer house, they are exposed to 14-16 hours of daylight per 24-hour period to stimulate them to lay eggs. They are fed a diet high in calcium, since egg shells require a lot of calcium, and allowed access to plenty of water. the type of housing they are kept in varies by operation (3). For instance, there's the typical "battery cage" which has a wire floor and allows droppings to fall through the floor and keep the hens and their eggs clean. This type of cage is pictured below, and was the type of cage addressed by Proposition 2.
I have to say I'm not really a fan of the battery cage system because it deprives hens of natural behaviors like nesting and scratching. Fortunately, battery cages are on their way to becoming a thing of the past. New systems of housing are being developed that keep hens in approximately the same amount of space, but allow them to stretch their wings, perch, take some alone time, nest, and even take dust baths (4). This is the type of cage currently being implemented in places like California that have laws against battery cages. This is what they look like:
That's quite an improvement, wouldn't you say? These are called colony cages, and I firmly believe they could completely replace battery cages some day.
But for those who prefer free-range eggs, those hens live in a completely different type of housing. It looks similar to a broiler barn, in that the hens are kept in a common area within the barn. These barns also have areas for the hens to perch and nesting boxes for eggs. The downside to this system is it's harder to keep clean, and harder to gather the eggs. Here's a picture of this type of system:
There are also pasture-raised eggs where the hens are free range with access to the outside. This is mainly used by producers who sell locally and don't have a contract with a company, however.
In any case, no matter the type of production system, hens lay for approximately 60-65 weeks before being rested and molted (3). Molting is when the hens lose their feathers and regrow new ones. It's a natural process that is healthy for them (Interestingly enough, this is also a likely cause in The Curious Case of the Featherless Hen pictured at the very beginning of this post. If she isn't a victim of feather pecking, she's probably on rest and molting). Even hobby farm chickens lose their feathers at certain times of the year. For instance, the hen below lives on a hobby farm (5), and yet if you didn't know better, you'd think she was being horribly abused. Have a look.
As a result, people are understandably angered. California introduced a bill called Proposition 2, which banned so-called "battery cages" in that state, along with imported eggs from chickens raised in battery cages. While I believe many people had good intentions, these decisions were made because people chose to listen to organizations with their own agendas instead of listening to the farmers who raised those chickens. It doesn't help that farmers are generally reluctant to speak up about these issues. They expect to be asked about their practices, instead of openly debating organizations like PETA and the HSUS. But people don't tend to ask. Instead, they prefer to be told. Anti-agriculture groups tell (even though what they say is usually false or out of context). This is why public perception of agriculture, especially animal agriculture, is so bad. Where am I going with this? Simple. That's exactly what is happening to the egg industry. No one has really stepped up to defend it. So instead of simply waiting idly to be asked about where eggs come from, I'm going to be bold and start TELLING people. That's the point of this blog post.
Which Came First?: The Life Cycle of a Hen
Laying hens start life in a hatchery. Depending on the type of operation, some egg farms have hatcheries built in. Some order their chicks from hatcheries that specialize in incubating and processing eggs to produce day-old chicks. The fertilized eggs go into incubators, some of which can hold thousands of eggs at a time. After 18 days, the unhatched eggs are moved to hatching baskets. At 21 days, the eggs hatch. At this point, they are removed from the hatchers and processed. The processing of chicks consists of separating the males from females, debeaking, and vaccinating. Female chicks are subject to vaccinations to prevent diseases, as well as debeaking. Debeaking is another widely criticized practice of the egg industry. There is no question that debeaking is certainly painful in the short term because the beak contains nerve endings. However, according to a paper called Welfare of Laying Hens- Directive on Debeaking in Layers and its Effect by R. Asha Rajini, debeaking at a younger age significantly reduced the chances of any long-term pain, and no instances of scar tissue or neuromas (disorganized growth of nerve cells at the site of a nerve injury. Also known as a "pinched nerve") were observed in chicks who had 1/3 of their beak trimmed at 1-10 days old (1). What does this mean? Debeaking pain, like the pain of getting one's ears pierced or getting a shot, is temporary and non-lingering when done to chicks. As such, it is necessary for proper animal welfare because debeaking prevents cannibalism and feather pecking in adult hens in the future. If' you're still skeptical of debeaking chicks, take a look at the pictures below and explain why a little bit of temporary pain when the birds are young isn't necessary in laying hens. The first picture is a hen that has been cannibalized, and the second hen is a victim of feather pecking. Debeaking is necessary for proper animal welfare, no if's, and's, or but's. Take a good, long look and tell me if you still think debeaking is cruel.
 |
| Cannibalism |
 |
| Feather Pecking |
This also raises an interesting thought to me. Remember that sad PETA picture I posted in the introduction? It doesn't look like that hen had her beak trimmed. If that particular operation doesn't debeak its hens (maybe it's illegal in that state or something) that hen could very well be a victim of feather pecking, and therefore it's not the farmer's fault. It's the government (if debeaking is illegal in the place where that photo was taken) or the uninformed public (if debeaking is legal there, but the farmer caved to public pressure or the company he sells his eggs to no longer allows eggs from debeaked chickens because of consumer outcry) who are to blame. By posting videos of debeaked hens with sad music playing in the background, PETA has managed to create worse conditions for hens on egg farms. Way to go, animal activists! That was sarcasm, if you couldn't tell. While we're on the subject of PETA and chicks, I'd also like to address what happens to cull chicks, aka male chicks and female chicks that are born sick, deformed, etc. I will not lie to you, and in the interest of transparency, I refuse to beat around the bush. Yes, it's true that cull chicks are ground up alive. However, if you subscribe to the belief that animals are not people, and therefore we have a right to utilize them for our use, you don't need to boycott eggs because of what happens to male chicks. Why? When the hatchery installs the correct equipment, the chicks' deaths are nearly instantaneous. I'm a big supporter of industrial macerators which use huge, dense metal grinders that move extremely quickly and with a ton of force. Consult the gif below.
If it can shred cans nearly instantaneously, imagine what it can do to eggshells, unhatched eggs, and yes, chicks. There are plenty of undercover videos of these shredders in hatcheries, and the chicks die pretty much instantly. It's even been shown to be more humane than gassing. Another thing I've noticed is that shredders in undercover videos usually run much, much faster than the shredder in the gif above (This one probably isn't running as fast for safety reasons, since they have it just sitting out in the open). This means the chick's death is even faster; practically instantaneous. I would even go so far as to equate the speed of insensibility as similar to that of a captive bolt gun. The resulting by-product can be heat-treated and processed into hatchery by-product meal, which is extremely high in calcium because of the eggshells. It's also a good source of all essential amino acids, and is therefore a good feedstuff for swine rations because it's been shown to be capable of partially replacing soybean meal because it's a good source of lysine. Pigs usually need lysine supplemented in their diets because they are monogastric omnivores and cannot synthesize it for themselves. Hatchery by-product meal is also used in the diets of dairy cattle and egg-laying hens, again because of its high calcium content and complete amino acid profile (2). But enough about that.
When the pullets (female chicks) arrive at the growing barn, they are placed either into a cage or on a solid floor, depending on which type of housing they will be kept in as adults. They remain here for approximately 18 weeks, and during that time they are kept under strictly monitored, controlled environment conditions. Pullets only receive 10 hours of daylight per 24-hour period to prevent them from laying eggs prematurely, before they are fully mature. Once they reach 18 weeks of age, they are sold to a layer farm or transferred to a layer house owned by the same person. In the layer house, they are exposed to 14-16 hours of daylight per 24-hour period to stimulate them to lay eggs. They are fed a diet high in calcium, since egg shells require a lot of calcium, and allowed access to plenty of water. the type of housing they are kept in varies by operation (3). For instance, there's the typical "battery cage" which has a wire floor and allows droppings to fall through the floor and keep the hens and their eggs clean. This type of cage is pictured below, and was the type of cage addressed by Proposition 2.
I have to say I'm not really a fan of the battery cage system because it deprives hens of natural behaviors like nesting and scratching. Fortunately, battery cages are on their way to becoming a thing of the past. New systems of housing are being developed that keep hens in approximately the same amount of space, but allow them to stretch their wings, perch, take some alone time, nest, and even take dust baths (4). This is the type of cage currently being implemented in places like California that have laws against battery cages. This is what they look like:
That's quite an improvement, wouldn't you say? These are called colony cages, and I firmly believe they could completely replace battery cages some day.
But for those who prefer free-range eggs, those hens live in a completely different type of housing. It looks similar to a broiler barn, in that the hens are kept in a common area within the barn. These barns also have areas for the hens to perch and nesting boxes for eggs. The downside to this system is it's harder to keep clean, and harder to gather the eggs. Here's a picture of this type of system:
There are also pasture-raised eggs where the hens are free range with access to the outside. This is mainly used by producers who sell locally and don't have a contract with a company, however.
In any case, no matter the type of production system, hens lay for approximately 60-65 weeks before being rested and molted (3). Molting is when the hens lose their feathers and regrow new ones. It's a natural process that is healthy for them (Interestingly enough, this is also a likely cause in The Curious Case of the Featherless Hen pictured at the very beginning of this post. If she isn't a victim of feather pecking, she's probably on rest and molting). Even hobby farm chickens lose their feathers at certain times of the year. For instance, the hen below lives on a hobby farm (5), and yet if you didn't know better, you'd think she was being horribly abused. Have a look.
 |
| Phoebe the bantam, who does not appreciate you thinking her humans abuse her. |
While resting, hens are allowed to recuperate, replenish their calcium stores, and restore their body condition. At the end of this period, they go back into production for another 60-65 weeks, and the cycle repeats itself.
Conclusion
That's egg production! It's not scary, it's not dirty, and it's becoming more and more humane with each passing day. As with any production system, there is always room for improvement, but modern agriculture is extremely good at adapting. In the meantime, consumers may be assured that they are getting a safe, wholesome product, no matter how it was raised. Any questions may be directed to my Instagram page, @thetruthaboutag, or they may be posted below in the comments section. Thanks for reading!
Sources
(1) http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/74940
(2) http://www.feedipedia.org/node/212
(3) http://extension.psu.edu/animals/poultry/topics/general-educational-material/the-chicken/modern-egg-industry
(4) http://jaysonlusk.com/blog/2016/3/22/innovations-in
(5) http://www.grit.com/animals/molting-what-is-it--how-to-help-chickens-get-through-it
I'm a full-time college student at Texas A&M University, where I'm in the process of getting my Animal Science degree, with eventual aspirations to go to law school and work as a consulting lawyer for agriculture corporations. I grew up around animals, and currently manage an operation that breeds show-quality boer goats for 4H and FFA exhibitors. My family also raises commercial cattle in south Texas.
I'm a full-time college student at Texas A&M University, where I'm in the process of getting my Animal Science degree, with eventual aspirations to go to law school and work as a consulting lawyer for agriculture corporations. I grew up around animals, and currently manage an operation that breeds show-quality boer goats for 4H and FFA exhibitors. My family also raises commercial cattle in south Texas.
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