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In 1951, the average price of a dozen eggs in the United States was 73.7 cents. Sounds great, right? Except, once you adjust for inflation, that same dozen eggs would now cost you $6.02. From 2007-2009, egg prices soared, and countless articles analyzed the reasons: higher fuel prices for transportation and fertilizer for feed, problems with the soybean crop, etc. And yet, at the very worst, egg prices still averaged less than $2.50 a dozen, a far cry from $6.02. So what happened to the other $3.52? I will leave it to the Michael Pollans and Thomas Friedmans of the world to explore how food costs are related to Petro-dictatorships, how our government has subsidized and promoted corn to the point that it is contained in almost all of our foods, and how small farms have been completely destroyed by gigantic agricultural corporations that exploit workers. All of these things are true, but I would like to draw some attention to the other beings who pay, and pay rather steeply, for that $3.52 you are not spending on a dozen eggs: the chickens.
Fair warning, the descriptions and links in this particular blog posting are graphic.
According to various estimates I could find, approximately 98% of the eggs the United States are produced using what is called the "modern farm" or "battery cage" system. According to the United Egg Producers, the recommended amount of space per bird is 67 to 86 in.² Link By comparison, a piece of paper that is 8.5 by 11 contains 93.5 in.² In other words, each bird has less space than a piece of paper. They cannot lie down, they cannot turn around, they do not roost or scratch, they cannot spread either one of their wings. As a result of this overcrowding, many battery hens lose their feathers and their bone density. Because overcrowded birds often turn to feather-picking and cannibalism, battery hens have their beaks cut off.
The European Union has begun the process of banning the use of battery cages, saying that the practice has “inherent severe disadvantages for the welfare of hens.” The European Commission’s Scientific Veterinary Committee (SVC) report, including a discussion of the relationship between cage size and bone density, feather picking, and cannibalism, as well as references to studies of the amount of size birds need in order to perform basic functions (turning: 771-1377 cm², wing flapping: 860-1980 cm², etc.), can be found here: Link.
I have no doubt that adopting the changes recommended by the European Union, or those by the State of California (California's Proposition 2 in 2008 mandated that "calves raised for veal, egg-laying hens and pregnant pigs be confined only in ways that allow these animals to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn around freely.") will cause some increase in the cost of eggs, but you have to ask yourself if the modest goal of raising hens that can stand up, lie down, and turn around, is worth paying somewhat more.
If you are interested in cruelty-free farming, I recommend USDA organic free range eggs, because at the very least there is some oversight. Of course, companies have already figured out ways to call themselves "cage free" and even "free range," while satisfying only the most basic requirements, so if you can, buy local, but if you can't, please try to avoid perpetuating cruelty-farming practices for laying hens.
And finally, a positive video, of battery hens given their first taste of freedom.
