Layer Hen End-of-Lay Depopulation: Welfare at the End of the Production Cycle

End-of-lay depopulation of layer hens, when flocks are culled at the end of their productive life, presents significant welfare challenges in terms of handling, transport, and slaughter methods.

Key Facts

Layer hens in commercial production are typically slaughtered at 12-18 months of age, after one laying cycle.
The depopulation process involves catching, crating, transporting, and slaughtering millions of hens.
Catching hens in the dark to reduce struggling is standard practice but birds still experience significant handling stress.
Many spent hens go to low-value markets including pet food, meaning welfare investment during slaughter is limited.
Controlled atmosphere killing (CAK) using inert gas mixtures is considered higher welfare than electrical stunning for poultry.
Male chicks are culled at hatch because they cannot lay eggs — a related welfare issue in the layer industry.
Moulting programmes that extend laying cycles are banned in some countries due to welfare concerns.

Welfare Considerations

End-of-lay hens are often considered low-value animals and receive less welfare investment than broilers despite equivalent capacity to suffer. The catching and loading process is inherently stressful and frequently results in injuries including fractures, dislocations, and bruising. Welfare improvements include mechanical harvesting to reduce rough handling, short transport distances, and adoption of controlled atmosphere killing systems that avoid the pain and distress associated with electrical water bath stunning when birds are shackled upside down while conscious. Welfare standards should not apply only to productive phases of an animal's life.

What You Can Do

Support egg producers with certified slaughter standards that address end-of-lay depopulation welfare.
Choose certified humane eggs from producers committed to welfare across the full production cycle.
Advocate for regulatory requirements to extend high-welfare slaughter standards to spent hens.
Reduce egg consumption or choose plant-based alternatives to reduce demand for industrial layer hen systems.