The caging of laying hens is not yet a thing of the past. It is true that battery cages have been banned in Germany since 2010. However, keeping in small group cages is still permitted in Germany until 2026, with exceptions even until 2029.

In Germany, 2.3 million hens still live in cages. Across the EU, there are almost 170 million laying hens that eke out their lives in the charmless environment of a cage¹. Globally, caging is still by far the most widespread form of husbandry².

Neither the conventional nor the enriched cage offers the animals an environment in which they can develop freely. Positive experiences, physical integrity, and the opportunity to act out natural behaviors are rare.

Around 43.2 million laying hens live in Germany. The majority live in floor or free-range systems. Five percent, no less than 2.3 million animals, are still kept in enriched cages, so-called small group housing.³

The hens live in a cage tightly packed in a very small space. There is hardly any free space. The animals are surrounded either by their conspecifics or the cage wall. Instead of earth, plants and sun, their world consists of metal and plastic.

Like their ancestors, the Bankiva chickens, laying hens have a high need for activity. To live out their basic needs, first and foremost their natural behaviors, is predominantly denied or severely restricted in the cage. These include:

• Moving around⁵
• Foraging
• Picking and scratching
• Nesting
• Perching
• Hiding
• Exerting comfort behavior⁶

13 billion eggs were produced in Germany in 2021⁷. The origin of the eggs is distributed as follows:

• 8,1 billion eggs from barn farming
• 2.5 billion free range eggs
• 1.7 billion eggs from organic production
• 718 million eggs from cage farming⁸

Since 2004, fresh eggs traded in the EU must be labeled according to origin and husbandry.

• 0 = Organic production
• 1 = Free-range
• 2 = Floor husbandry
• 3 = Cage-rearing

This labeling has led to consumers buying fewer eggs from caged hens. In 2008, 60 percent of eggs still came from caged hens; by 2021, this figure had fallen to just seven percent¹⁰.

The labeling requirement does not apply to eggs that have already been processed. Thus, eggs from battery cages are still used in restaurants as well as in products offered in stores, such as pasta or pastries. Easter eggs that have already been cooked and colored also do not have to be labeled¹¹.

Former Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner advocated mandatory EU-wide labeling of the farming method used for processed eggs¹². So far, the European Union has not complied with this proposal¹³.

Laying batteries

Keeping laying hens in battery cages is the most intensive and economical form of husbandry¹⁴. Four to five animals live crowded together in one cage. Each hen has just 550 cm² of space. That is less than a Din A4 sheet.

In addition to the lack of space, there is no structuring of the cage and the floor consists of wire mesh. The feed is the only manipulable material in the conventional cage.¹⁶

The chickens can not live out natural behaviors in this barren environment. Sand bathing, stretching extensively and resting on elevated places is impossible. Because of this, the animals experience physical and psychological stress.¹⁷

In the always same rut in a confined space, it is impossible for the chickens to have positive experiences. As a result, they do not feel positive emotions such as joy and curiosity.¹⁸

The lack of movement in the cages leads to osteoporosis and fatty liver disease. This results in broken bones and ruptured livers, which lead to severe chronic pain. Because the animals stand on wire mesh all day, they often develop foot injuries.¹⁹

Conventional cages originated in the USA, where they were already widely used in the 1950s. In Germany, the housing system became established in the 1970s. In 1972, 80 percent of laying hens lived in conventional cages²⁰.

Even then, there were voices that criticized this form of husbandry. Three scientists wrote in the context of an expert opinion on the keeping of laying hens in cages for the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry that cage rearing fulfills the facts of animal cruelty to a high degree²¹.

Further expert opinions and court rulings followed, classifying the situation of animals in cages as relevant to animal welfare. However, the Central Association of the German Poultry Industry (ZDG) was a powerful advocate of cage rearing²². Under pressure from the ZDG, the Hens Husbandry Ordinance was passed in 1987, which protected keepers from criminalization²³.

In 1999, Germany repealed its ordinance on the keeping of hens and classified cage rearing as relevant to animal welfare²⁴. In the same year, a directive sealed the EU-wide ban on conventional cages from 2012²⁵. Germany implemented this directive earlier and banned keeping in conventional cages from 2010²⁶.

Compared to battery cages, enriched cages are structured with litter, nests and perches. In addition, they offer slightly more space for the chickens. The following minimum requirements for cages have applied in the EU since 2012:

• total minimum size of 2.000 cm²
• 750 cm² space per animal
• A nest
• a littered area for scratching and pecking
• a suitable perch with at least 15 cm space per hen
• one unrestricted feeding trough with 12 cm length per hen
• an adequate drinking device
• a device for shortening the claws

For the hens, this means a “space gain” of 150 cm² per animal. That is an area of 10 by 15 centimeters, about the size of an average book. This gain in space still allows natural behaviors to a very limited extent²⁹. 

In Germany, this form of enriched cages has been banned since 2021. However, the somewhat larger special form of the enriched cage, the so-called small group cage, is still allowed until 2026.^30,31

The requirements for enriched cages in Germany are stricter than those specified in the EU Directive³²

• Minimum area: 2.5 m² (EU guidelines: 2.0 m²)
• Minimum area per animal: 800 to 900 cm² (EU guidelines: 750 cm²)
• Nest size per hen: 90 cm² (EU guidelines: no specifications)³³
• Scratching area per hen: 90 cm² (EU guidelines: no specifications)³⁴

Since the specifications in Germany are minimally stricter than in the EU specification, a separate term was coined for it: small group housing³⁵. However, the term is misleading because this type of housing is still a cage. This fact is forgotten due to the euphemistic term.

The spatial restriction and the resulting difficulty in structuring the cages in a meaningful way severely limits the behavioral possibilities of the chickens. This relates to the following behavioral complexes:³⁶

• Locomotion behavior
• Personal hygiene behavior (especially sand bathing)
• Nest oriented behavior
• Resting behavior (especially perching)
• Social behavior
• Foraging and ingestion behavior

In an enriched cage, the available space is small and the cage height is low. The perches further constrict the space. Therefore, locomotion is almost as restricted as in a conventional cage³⁷.

Different movements require different amounts of space. Resting only takes up the space of the body’s circumference. Running, flapping and flying require far more space³⁸. In small group housing, chickens perform space-consuming behaviors much less frequently. The cage simply offers too little space for their execution³⁹.

Sand bathing represents an important comfort behavior in chickens⁴⁰. In enriched cages and small group cages, the chickens have too little space to perform this behavior synchronously. Also the substrate is often not suitable⁴¹.

Chickens seek elevated places to sleep. There they keep a better overview in the wild and seek protection from enemies. They prefer to rest on trees several meters high⁴².

In cages, perches are placed only a few centimeters above the cage floor. They do not provide a retreat, but on the contrary, encourage other chickens to peck the cloacas of the hens sitting on them⁴³.

Research shows that not all chickens use the perches in the cage to rest at night. Some of them spend the night on the grid floor, in the nest or in the sand bath. This does not represent species-appropriate resting⁴⁴.

Due to the confined space, separation into resting and activity areas is not possible. Hens resting on the low perches or on the floor are disturbed by other, active animals⁴⁵.

Feather pecking is a major problem in intensive chicken farming. The chickens peck their conspecifics or pull out their feathers and eat them. Those affected suffer pain and the ruffled feathers no longer offer them full protection.^46,47

Feather pecking is not aggressive behavior, but is interpreted as misguided food acquisition behavior. Since the feed in laying hen husbandry serves only for satiation and as an energy supplier, the animals’ need for occupation remains unsatisfied⁴⁸.

In addition to feeding, other influencing factors play a role in the development of feather pecking⁴⁹:

• Genetics
• Rearing conditions of the pullets
• Enclosure
• Herd size
• Management

Since the behavioral disorder of feather pecking occurs frequently in all types of husbandry, it can be concluded that the chickens are overwhelmed in dealing with their environment⁵⁰.

In floor husbandry, the chickens have more space at their disposal. The environment is more complex and instead of just standing on wire flooring, at least a third of the area is littered. This allows them to perform certain behaviors⁵¹.

However, the chickens live in very large groups⁵². This overburdens the animals and often results in behavioral disorders such as feather pecking and cannibalism. Parasite infestation is also high, as parasites multiply quickly in the litter-feces mixture and spread more easily in large groups⁵⁴.

Aviary husbandry is a form of floor husbandry. In this system, the chickens are given access to different floors⁵⁵. The chickens can reach the different levels via perches and thus access litter, water, feed and nests⁵⁶.

The frequent occurrence of bone fractures is a major problem in aviary husbandry. Not only do the chickens suffer from the pain, but it also makes it harder for them to move between floors⁵⁷.

In these forms of husbandry, the chickens have an outdoor run at their disposal. In the open-air run, the chickens live out a large part of their behavioural repertoire. Sunlight, fresh air and changing weather conditions have a positive effect on the chickens’ health and well-being..⁵⁸

In these forms of husbandry, the chickens are provided with a run. In the run, the chickens live out a large part of their behavioral repertoire. Sunlight, fresh air and changing weather conditions have a positive effect on the health and well-being of the chickens.

Obwohl die Freilandhaltung und die biologische Hühnerhaltung eine große Akzeptanz in der Gesellschaft genießen, kommt es aber auch hier zu den klassischen tierschutzrelevanten Problemen. Federpicken, Knochenbrüche, Parasitenbefall und andere Krankheitserreger sind keine Seltenheit.^59,60

As of 2012, conventional caging was banned in the EU. The member countries switched predominantly from conventional to enriched cages.⁶⁵

In 2021, 168,822,117 hens lived in cages in the EU. On average in the EU, this represents 45 percent of all laying hens. The distribution varies greatly across Europe. While in Austria cage rearing has been completely banned since 2020, in Malta 99.4 percent of hens live in cages⁶⁶.

In addition to Malta, Estonia and Lithuania also keep more than 80 percent of laying hens in cages. But this will soon come to an end⁶⁷. Under pressure from the European Citizens’ Initiative “End the Cage Age”, the European Commission is aiming to end cage rearing by the end of 2027⁶⁸.

Globally, the situation is different. Alternative husbandry systems are a niche in most non-EU countries. Estimates suggest that 90 to 95 percent of all eggs produced worldwide come from caged hens⁶⁹.

What type of husbandry is best for chickens?

Bankiva chickens, the wild form of domestic chickens, live in small groups in the jungles of Thailand. They belong to the same species as domestic chickens despite domestication. They have very similar needs and behavior patterns.⁷⁰

Six to seven wild hens live together with one rooster. They spend the day mainly foraging. At night, they retreat to high trees to sleep. There, they are protected from predators. ^71,72

The reality of laying hens, even in farms that go far beyond the legal requirements, is different. Instead of living with rooster and offspring, they live with hens of the same age. In the large groups, they can no longer tell their conspecifics apart.

Instead of living in the diffuse light in the thicket of the jungle, they live in the barn under artificial light. Many of them do not see natural daylight their whole lives. They have to sleep on the ground or, at best, on perches that are too low.

They are fed a high-calorie porridge, which is filling and provides sufficient energy, but does not satisfy the need for pecking and scratching. Many of them take out their frustration on conspecifics.

Every chicken has the right to a life worth living without exploitation and violent death. Keeping chickens must be tailored to their needs. It must also take into account that they have individual preferences and interests.

Commercial agriculture does not meet these demands. Hens are considered a necessary means to an end in egg production. Little consideration is given to their psychological and physical well-being.

1. Lebenshöfe garantieren Hühnern ein Leben ohne Ausbeutung. Hier stehen die Individuen mit ihren Bedürfnissen im Vordergrund. Nur ein Ort, der dies bietet, stellt einen sicheren Lebensraum für Hühner dar. Hier können sie ihr Leben genießen.