Food animals: Some people believe human beings should not use animals for food and so they become either vegetarians who won’t eat meat or vegans who won’t eat any animal products, including eggs. Whether or not you eat meat or products from animals is a personal choice.

As egg farmers, we believe it is our responsibility to take good care of the animals that society has entrusted to us. By doing so, we are able to provide Canadians with a safe and wholesome food. Eggs contain the highest quality protein of any food and include all nine essential amino acids. They are loaded with 14 important vitamins and minerals and have about the same number of calories as an apple. The nutrients in eggs help to promote memory, eyesight, muscle development, healthy hearts, fetal development and even weight loss. All eggs in Canada are part of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health CheckTM program, a national food information program based on Canada’s Food Guide and developed to help Canadians make healthy food choices.

Housing: Hens are housed a variety of ways in Canada. Canada’s egg farmers have responded to what consumers want by offering a choice of eggs from different kinds of housing. Whether raised in cages, free run barns or provided pasture for ranging, the hens are well looked after. While times and technology have changed, the level of care we give our hens hasn’t.

Cage housing maximizes food safety because the hen’s manure is separated from the eggs and removed from the barn regularly. Conventional cages provide hens with small group settings that enable all birds to have equal access to fresh food and water and to stretch, turn around and walk about. Enriched cages are larger than conventional ones and come furnished with perches and a curtained off area to give hens privacy when laying their eggs.

Free run barns don’t have cages; instead birds walk around the whole floor. These barns have nesting areas that the birds use for laying eggs. Some versions also have scratch areas and perches. A type of free run barn is the aviary, where there are multiple levels of free run hens. Finally, with free range housing, hens have access to the outdoors when weather permits.

Most egg farmers prefer to raise their hens in conventional cages because smaller group sizes enable farmers to monitor inpidual hens more effectively. Some farmers have moved to enriched systems while others have opted for free run, aviary or free range. Whatever housing is used, close attention must be paid to the hens’ well-being as the care we provide is as important as the kind of housing used. In addition, our provincial and national farmer associations fund hundreds of thousands of dollars in research annually to improve the health and well-being of hens.

Egg Farmers of Canada is financially supporting research on enriched cages. Two projects are underway: one at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and another at the University of Guelph in Ontario. In addition, provincial egg farmer groups are supporting other housing and animal care research.

Feed: Hen rations vary depending on the availability and prices of ingredients in the region where the feed is being manufactured. There is no such thing as a single formula for feeding hens. Even a poor growing season will affect what crops are used in feed. Some egg farmers purchase all of their feed; others mix parts of it on the farm and buy the rest. Commercial vitamin-mineral pre-mixes ensure hens get essential nutrients; they are an important part of the hen’s diet when we are mixing feed ingredients grown on our own farms. Soybean meal is often used in hen feed as it is a good source of protein and also provides some carbohydrates and fats. Fish and meat meal may also be used as a protein source. Wheat and corn are among the best grains for feeding poultry but barley, rye and even millet can also be used if in the right formulation. Oilseeds such as canola or flax are often used. In fact, flax is a primary ingredient for feed when producing omega-3 eggs.

In addition, a calcium supplement, such as limestone or oyster shell is provided to help the hen maintain bone density. As hens use calcium to create egg shells, it is important that calcium is provided in the diet to replenish their supply.

Hens that lay eggs are not given any steroids or hormones, no matter what housing system is used. Medicine to treat a flock is not commonly used but is administered when needed for the flock’s health.

Healthy hens make nutritious, wholesome eggs thanks to the care they receive and the feed that is balanced according to the nutrients needed to keep them healthy.

Beak treatment: Improved technology is now being used in Canada to trim chicks’ beaks. Trimming the tips is necessary to prevent sharp beaks in mature hens. Pecking is natural behaviour in layers and so they often peck at each other. The treatment is completed by trained people and the chicks readily drink and eat afterwards.

Farm size: Farmers make up about 2% of Canada’s population and grow the food for the rest of the population. This is very different from the time of our grandfathers and grandmothers when everyone knew at least one farmer. To meet the nutritional food requirements of Canada’s growing population, farms have become larger and that trend is likely to continue for all of agriculture, including egg farms. The average size egg farm in Canada today has about 20,000 hens. That seems like a lot of hens to have on one property, but it is not uncommon to have farms with 100,000 or more hens in other countries.

While some may yearn for the days of old, good land use planning encourages similar operations or activities to occur in the same area. This is good for the economy, the environment and for people. It prevents urban sprawl and reserves green spaces for recreational use while preserving agricultural land. Likewise, farming can be maintained in agricultural zones, preserving recreational spaces and zones for housing. If our farms were broken up into smaller sizes, there would be a negative environmental effect on waterways and soil and there would also be a lot of noise and smells.

Fortunately new technologies have been developed that allow us to care for more hens while protecting their health and welfare as always. Computerized equipment regulates feedings, ventilation and lighting and keeps fresh water flowing to our hens. Even much of egg collection has become modernized as automated belt lines move the eggs to a collection area. These advances free up our time so we can spend more of it on the care of our hens. While technology has changed, the welfare of our animals remains our number one priority.

Canada’s egg farmers are rated by inspectors on Egg Farmers of Canada’s Animal Care Program. The Program is based on the Recommended Code of Practice for Laying Hens which was developed by veterinarians, scientists, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, egg farmers and egg processors.