Forced molting through feed withdrawal was historically used to extend laying hen productivity but causes significant suffering. It has been banned in many countries and replaced with non-feed-withdrawal methods.
Feed withdrawal molting causes one of the more acute welfare harms in commercial egg production. Hens denied food for up to two weeks show behavioral despair, aggression, and the full physiological stress response. The procedure was justified economically because it extends the productive life of hens, reducing the costs of replacing laying flocks. Alternative low-nutrition molting diets achieve similar productivity outcomes without causing acute starvation. The successful phase-out of feed withdrawal molting in the EU and several US states demonstrates that the economic rationale can be met through welfare-positive alternatives. Consumer choice for eggs from non-force-molted flocks reinforces this transition.