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Campaigns - No Battery Cages Campaign

Egg-laying hens are the most abused animals on the planet, crammed into tiny "battery cages" on most conventional egg farms in the United States. Battery cages - small wire cages which measure two feet wide and only fifteen inches deep - each hold 5-9 hens for the entirety of their lives. The cages are stacked one on top of another in dark, crowded warehouses, and birds often live among the feces of other birds. Hens frequently lose their feathers and suffer sores from constantly rubbing against the cage bars, and their feet are often crippled from the wire mesh flooring. Battery cages have been outlawed in the European Union and were recently banned (effective 2015) in the state of California.

In recent years numerous major grocery chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joes, educational institutions, and other businesses such as Ben and Jerry's have moved towards using "cage-free" eggs. While cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, it does mean a great reduction in suffering for the hens used. (Please note that the Humane League does not encourage individual members of the public to purchase cage-free eggs. To learn about the cruelties involved even in cage-free egg production, please click here.)

The Humane League of Philadelphia's No Battery Cages Campaign works to encourage local institutions to stop purchasing battery cage eggs, with each switch representing tangible improvements in the lives of thousands of animals. As a result of the Humane League's work, local insitutions including the Unviersity of Pennsylvania, the Catholic Archdiocesan School System's 21 secondary schools in the area, and Immaculata University have switched to cage-free eggs and egg products.

Click here to view a sample of one of our campaign websites.