Battery hens 'as happy as birds that can roam outside'
UK - Hens kept in battery cages are no more stressed than their free-range counterparts, researchers say.
16 July 2007
2 minute read
Their findings call into question the common belief that hens which are allowed to roam free are happier.
Similar amounts of a hormone produced when hens are frightened were found in the eggs of both kinds of birds.
Scientists believe this is because free-range hens have to deal with extra pressures such as extremes of temperature, more parasites and the threat of predators.
Dr Jeff Downing from Sydney University said: If they have no cover, they are constantly in fear of attack by predators.
Source: Daily Mail
Similar amounts of a hormone produced when hens are frightened were found in the eggs of both kinds of birds.
Scientists believe this is because free-range hens have to deal with extra pressures such as extremes of temperature, more parasites and the threat of predators.
Dr Jeff Downing from Sydney University said: If they have no cover, they are constantly in fear of attack by predators.
Source: Daily Mail
