At the end of their laying life, hens are spent and typically slaughtered for low-value uses, with their welfare at this stage receiving far less attention than during production.
Spent hens often experience their worst welfare at the end of their productive lives when transport and slaughter welfare receive least attention. Rehoming programmes give some hens genuine quality retirement, though most will still have shortened lives and health problems from commercial production. On-farm slaughter using approved methods avoids transport stress. Consumer and producer attention to end-of-life welfare completes the welfare picture beyond production conditions.