Farm Animals

Laying Hen End of Life Welfare

The end-of-life slaughter of spent laying hens is one of the least-regulated stages of poultry production, with welfare outcomes varying enormously across the industry.

Key Facts

UK laying hens are typically slaughtered at 72-80 weeks after a year of egg production
Catching, crating and transport for spent hens is particularly stressful due to osteoporosis-related fragility
Gas killing with a high CO2 concentration is legal but causes distress before unconsciousness
Many spent hens are worth less than the cost of transport, creating pressure to reduce slaughter costs

Welfare Considerations

Spent laying hens have severe osteoporosis from calcium mobilisation during egg production, making them extremely fragile during handling. Bone fractures during catching are common. Birds transported long distances to abattoirs may be exposed to temperature extremes and deprived of water. The low economic value of spent hens reduces incentive to invest in welfare at slaughter.

What You Can Do

Support egg producers who use on-farm killing with high-welfare methods
Advocate for mandatory welfare standards for spent hen slaughter
Back research into higher-welfare end-of-life systems for laying hens
Ask egg retailers about their spent hen slaughter welfare requirements