A short and cruel life..
Despite their natural life expectancy of 15 years, laying hens rarely outlive 20 months, as they get disposed by the egg industry once their laying performance decreases. The same sad fate awaits male chicks, who are worthless to the egg industry and are killed after their birth. In the European Union alone, more than 330 million one-day-old male chicks get killed every year.
Chickens are very active animals and therefore require much space. Most are kept in cramped and dirty cages, spending their short lives in inhumane conditions without daylight and standing on wire mesh floors. Many caged laying hens have to fight over the little space that they have, resorting to feather pecking and even cannibalism. To reduce injuries, many laying hens get their beak trimmed without anesthesia, which is very painful, as the beak is the most sensitive body part of chickens and can be compared to human fingertips…. 🐥🥹