For many years, animal welfare experts have been opposed to the battery hen concept. These chickens spend their lives in small cages of about four birds to a cage with a floor area equal to the size of a briefcase (45cm x 45cm or 18″ square).
It is the cheapest way to produce eggs and, in general, the public only buy cheap eggs. So you must decide whether or not you are prepared to pay more for eggs from happy chooks. To help you decide, some of the advantages and disadvantages of the systems for egg production are:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Advantages
Disadvantages
Advantages
Disadvantages
We interviewed Frank Pace from Pace Farms – Australia’s largest egg producer. He currently produces eggs from all three systems and is more than happy to produce 100% of whatever the public want. His barn-produced eggs are marketed as “Liberty eggs”, while free-range eggs are clearly marked as such so that consumers have a choice.
The Australian Egg Industry Association says that if battery eggs cost $3 a dozen then barn eggs should cost about $3.77 and free range around $4.37. This is not the case and prices vary across states and across supermarkets depending on their pricing policies.
The free-range system is probably the best for the chook but it is very expensive. Burke’s Backyard and the RSPCA support the barn system provided the eggs are priced reasonably in the stores. Where both barn and free range eggs sell for the same price, we recommend that you purchase free range eggs. If you don’t care about the method of production, then buy the cheaper battery eggs. Ultimately the decision is up to you the consumer.