Forced moulting is used in commercial egg production to extend laying cycles. Feed restriction methods cause significant hunger and stress, though alternatives exist that are less welfare-harmful.
Forced moulting welfare raises fundamental questions about acceptable trade-offs between economic efficiency and animal suffering in commercial egg production. Feed withdrawal moulting — still used in some global markets — causes severe hunger, distress, and weight loss over days to weeks. The hens show strong food-seeking behaviour throughout, indicating genuine hunger experience. Replacement of feed withdrawal with low-nutrition alternative feeds reduces but does not eliminate moulting stress. Physiological measures including corticosterone elevation during moulting confirm significant stress regardless of method. The economic rationale — extending laying cycle duration — provides a production efficiency benefit that must be weighed against documented welfare harms. Some producers have eliminated moulting entirely by replacing hens at end of first laying cycle, accepting higher pullet costs in exchange for eliminating moulting welfare harms.