Battery hens are fed foods high in protein. Too high. These foods are 18-19 per cent crude protein. The recommended amount of protein for a hen is 16 per cent. This diet is to boost their growth and egg size.

 

As the hens are so cramped, and physical activity is so limited, the hens often resort to pecking  each other to death. To prevent this from happening, most hens get their beak tip removed. The pecking  can lead to feather loss, and injuries.

 

The life of a battery hen is pretty gruesome. If you re-home these hens, you are a hero. At the very least, you should only buy the eggs with a blue SPCA tick. This means the hens that laid these eggs had, or are having, a good life.