Learn more

An end to caged chickens?

On 1 January 2023, a ban on battery cages finally came into effect. After a 10-year phase-out period to allow the industry time to adequately transition, this step meant a major victory for the approximately 3.9 million layer hens in New Zealand.

Many New Zealanders celebrated this milestone alongside SPCA, but what many may not realise is that a great number of layer hens are still being kept in cages, just one of a different kind: colony cages.

According to the Egg Producers Federation of New Zealand, as of December 2022, 34% of hens are farmed in a free-range environment, and 33% in barns – however, this means that 33% of New Zealand layer hens still spend their life in a cage.

While colony cages may offer a slightly better environment for hens than battery cages, hens in colony cages are still unable to express many of their normal behaviours.

Colony cages provide slightly more space than battery cages, as well as a low perch, a rudimentary nesting area and a plastic scratching mat, they are still heavily confined and farmed in sheds with cages sometimes stacked as many as eight high.

SPCA Certified only approves barn and free-range egg farms. Hens in these systems are free to move around and interact with each other. They are also kept on litter, such as wood shavings, which allows them to scratch and dustbathe. Environmental enrichment and perches must be provided and in the case of free-range, the hens have access to an outdoor area, with shade and shelter, to allow them to roam and fully explore their surroundings.

All major supermarkets in New Zealand have pledged to stop selling eggs from any cage system (including colony cages) by the end of 2027. This huge step forwards is driven by demand from the public. We know that many New Zealanders support this change and look forward to a future in which no chicken in New Zealand needs to spend her life in a cage.