At the end of their productive life, spent laying hens face serious welfare challenges during depopulation, transport, and slaughter. The low market value of spent hens creates economic incentives for minimal welfare investment in their final days.
Spent laying hens represent a welfare challenge that receives far less attention than other aspects of egg production. Their bones are fragile, their bodies depleted from intensive egg production, and their commercial value is low - a combination that creates conditions for poor welfare at end of life. Fractures during depopulation cause acute pain in animals that have already experienced chronic bone pain from osteoporosis. Improving end-of-lay welfare requires both regulatory standards and market signals that value humane handling.