Cage-Free Chicken: The Next Big Thing

 

I remember writing about the free-ranging method of chicken rearing in a semester final. That time I had to show lots of demerits about this method. But looking back to that moment, I feel I could have done better. Maybe more research and an objective view from the customer perspective, I could make my paper more informative and useful. But the world in 2020 is different.  Customers are now attracted to organic foods and livestock which are reared in their natural environments. The more people are becoming concerned about the environment, the more changes are happening in the food industry.  Therefore cage-free chicken is the recent trend worldwide.

What is cage-free chicken?

 The cage-free method is a subtype of the free-ranging method. In this method, layer chickens are reared without battery cages. There are normally three forms of the cage-free method.

1) Indoor Cage-free method:  Where birds are cage-free but confined in the shed. However, nest boxes are provided. The floor space requirement is 1-1.5 sq ft/bird.

2) Indoor and Outdoor Cage-free method: In this system, birds are cage-free and also have access to the outdoors to engage in natural behavior. The floor space requirement is 2-21.8 sq.ft./bird

3) Pasture-raised: Birds that are cage-free also have access to outdoor riches with natural vegetation foraging. Space requirement is quite high here, almost 108 sq.ft./bird

 In this discussion, we will have an overview of the cage-free method of rearing. We will not focus on a particular system.

Why it is becoming popular?

In many countries (including Bangladesh), people are now much more concerned about animal welfare.  People are more attracted to organic foods. Chickens that are reared in the natural environment or at least can maintain their natural behavior are becoming popular. Burger King, one of the renowned international fast-food franchisors, has declared to use 100% cage-free eggs by 2027 in Thailand.

Many more animal welfare organizations are raising their voices against the brutal process of producing eggs. A layer hen cannot move freely and is deprived of all kinds of natural environments and behavior. It affects the customer greatly. Resulting in this shift in the poultry sector.

Boons of Cage-free Method

Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare – freedoms from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain, and injury, and freedom to express normal behavior. These freedoms ensure the natural behavior of the birds. Birds can at least stand straight and spread their wings in a cage-free method. Moreover, they can engage in natural behavior like dust bathing and perching.

Cage-free birds live in aviaries large enough to hold thousands of birds. These are industrial barns where there is about 1 square foot of space available per hen.

 A research study by the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply found that the benefits of cage-free aviaries for birds include more natural behavior, stronger bones, and more feathers.  Using this method, there is a lower risk of salmonella contamination. Cholesterol level is low in such birds.

 Drawbacks of this System

Cage-free birds also face risks. The mortality rate is much higher (over 10%) than caged birds (about 5%) because of pecking by other birds. And without access to the outdoors, the quality of indoor air in aviaries can be poor (this anomaly is very much common in cage-free indoor sheds).
Studies on caged birds suggest that about one-quarter to one-third will have keel bone damage, but the injury rate is upward of half of the cage-free chickens. This damage causes a drop in egg production.

Prospects of this method in Bangladesh

The biggest problem in our country is that there is not enough land for farming operations. The cage-free method requires a lot more space per bird than a normal caged system. The supply won’t be adequate to meet the daily demand of the country. 

But people are now attracted to products which are naturally produced. Animal welfare organizations are much more active than in the past years. Consumers are developing a taste for such premium products. The demand for organic foods, cage-free eggs, and meats is increasing. I think this ought-provoking for startups and entrepreneurs.

 Myth buster

Often cage-free chickens and organically produced chickens are thought to be the same. There is an explanation here.

To be labeled organic, the chickens must be -

1.     Free-range (but not necessarily pasture-raised).

2.     Provide an organic diet. For example, if they are fed maize feed then the maize must be organic and there should be no synthetic pesticides used in growing that maize.

3.     Not receive any hormones or antibiotics.

So not all free-range or cage-free chickens are organic. In short, all organic chickens are free-range, but not all free-range are organic.

Conclusion

In 2018, the cage-free farming practice was adopted for egg-laying hens by Charoen Pokhfand Foods. This company will increase the production of this year’s cage-free eggs to 10 million to promote ethical food choices in Thailand.

 Bangladeshi farmers must adapt to the changes coming to the sector. This change is based on customer choice. So those who can adapt can easily survive the market.

 Resources

1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/06/15/many-people-think-cage-free-life-is-better-for-hens-its-not-that-simple/
2. https://www.diffen.com/difference/Caged_Chicken_vs_Free_Range_Chicken
3. https://www.poultryworld.net/Home/General/2020/6/June-Business-Update-Whats-new-in-the-world-of-poultry-604166E/
4. https://www.poultryworld.net/Eggs/Articles/2020/6/Burger-King-commits-to-cage-free-eggs-in-Thailand-593554E/?fbclid=IwAR3XDtCMemLb6BHnLMB1waxufM9xwq3scKzN3ec32OPRYjDn-2OuAvPAvYU

Writer

Md. Ahad Jahin Sarker          

Student
Faculty of Animal Husbandry. BAU
E-mail: jahinbau@gmail.com