Farm Animals

Laying Hen Mortality Rates and Welfare

Mortality rates in commercial laying hen flocks are a key welfare indicator, with on-farm mortality revealing the cumulative toll of disease, injury, and management on flock welfare.

Key Facts

Commercial laying flocks may experience 3-8% mortality over the laying period
Causes include cannibalism, cardiovascular disease, prolapse, and infectious disease
Mortality peaks coincide with housing changes, vaccination, and high production peaks
Welfare audits increasingly track mortality rates as a welfare indicator
Higher mortality in free-range flocks often reflects management challenges in large flocks

Welfare Considerations

On-farm mortality represents the visible tip of the welfare iceberg: for every bird that dies, many more are experiencing the conditions and health challenges that drive mortality. High mortality rates signal systemic welfare failure — whether from poor nutrition, infectious disease, aggression, or environmental stressors. Proactive welfare management that monitors and responds to rising mortality prevents individual suffering from escalating into flock-level crisis.

What You Can Do

Support certification schemes with mortality rate reporting requirements
Advocate for mandatory mortality reporting in laying hen legislation
Choose eggs from schemes with transparent welfare audit disclosure
Support research into the causes and prevention of laying hen mortality
Engage with egg industry welfare working groups on mortality reduction