Spent Hen Welfare and Processing Alternatives

Laying hens at the end of their productive lives are processed in ways that often cause suffering, with CO2 gassing and mechanical killing raising welfare concerns for billions of birds.

Key Facts

An estimated 500 million laying hens reach end of lay annually in the United States alone
Spent hens have low economic value due to tough meat, creating pressure for cheap killing methods
On-farm killing using CO2 gas is the most common method but research shows it is aversive
Some facilities use maceration or cervical dislocation for spent hens
Alternative uses for spent hens including slow-cooker recipes and dog food have limited commercial adoption
The welfare of spent hens at slaughter receives less attention than production-phase welfare

Welfare Considerations

Laying hens killed with carbon dioxide experience air hunger as the gas replaces oxygen, showing distress behaviors including head shaking and gasping before loss of consciousness. The economic marginality of spent hens means killing methods are chosen for cost rather than humaneness. Spent hens transported to slaughter after a lifetime in cage or cage-free systems experience a final journey that adds transport stress to an already compromised animal. The scale — hundreds of millions of individual animals — makes method improvements exceptionally impactful.

What You Can Do

Advocate for welfare-conscious slaughter method requirements for spent poultry
Support research and adoption of controlled atmosphere stunning using inert gas mixtures
Donate to organizations working specifically on slaughter welfare for poultry
Choose eggs from farms with published end-of-life care commitments
Reduce egg consumption to lower demand and thereby the scale of the problem
Support farmers transitioning spent hens to alternative uses that reduce killing rates