Laying Hen End-of-Life Welfare: Depopulation, Transport, and Slaughter

The final hours of a commercial laying hen's life involve multiple welfare risks. Depopulation, transport, and slaughter at end of lay are among the most poorly regulated stages of commercial egg production.

Key Facts

Commercial laying hens are typically slaughtered at 72-80 weeks of age when lay rates decline below economic thresholds
End-of-lay hens are in poor physical condition: severe osteoporosis, often with healed or active keel bone fractures
Depopulation by mechanical harvester or manual catching causes wing dislocations and leg fractures in a proportion of birds
End-of-lay hens are lower value than broilers; this reduces economic incentive for high-welfare slaughter investment
Many end-of-lay hens are slaughtered at plants not designed for their body condition, increasing line-speed welfare risks
Controlled atmosphere killing (CAK) on farm is considered a high-welfare alternative to live transport for spent hens
Some countries incinerate end-of-lay hens on farm rather than transport; the welfare of this method depends on stunning before killing

Welfare Considerations

End-of-lay hens enter their final stage already compromised: osteoporotic bones fracture under the mechanical and manual stresses of catching and crating. Birds with existing keel fractures experience acute pain during handling. The economic logic of spent hen slaughter deprioritises welfare investment — these birds are worth very little commercially, reducing the incentive to invest in high-welfare catching and stunning equipment. On-farm killing using mobile gas units avoids transport stress entirely and is considered a welfare improvement, but requires capital investment and operational expertise. The welfare of end-of-lay hens reflects the full lifecycle welfare commitment of egg producers — and is a meaningful differentiator between certification schemes.

What You Can Do

Choose eggs from certification schemes that explicitly cover end-of-lay welfare and transport standards
Ask egg producers and retailers about their end-of-lay hen slaughter practices
Support RSPCA Assured and similar schemes that include end-of-lay welfare provisions
Advocate for mandatory stunning verification and end-of-lay welfare monitoring at slaughter plants
Consider reducing egg consumption or choosing plant-based alternatives