I grew up on a farm and sometimes my country-boy vernacular is beyond the understanding of my urban-girl wife. Like when I told her how my parents got out of the egg business because many of our neighbors were getting big chicken outfits. Her confused expression made me realize that she was picturing our farm neighbors wandering around in plus-sized chicken costumes. I’m sure she was wondering why chicken-costume-wearing neighbors would make my parents decide to get rid of their hens. Maybe you’re wondering what she wondered. So, let me explain.

Our 200 white leghorn hens lived in a building we called “the chicken house.” Every morning, my mom would open the chicken house door and the hens would jump off their roosts, spill through the door, and get down to the business of pecking up spilled grain in the farmyard and scratching through the dirt in our grove for bugs and worms. Mom would collect the eggs from the chicken house nest boxes, take them to the basement to clean them, arrange them in egg flats, put the flats into boxes, and haul them to town where she would sell them to the egg buyer. That was our egg business.

Then in the 1960’s, some our neighbors got big chicken outfits. “Big chicken outfits” was our term for big barns that were filled with cages that were filled with chickens. It was a more efficient method of producing eggs, and my parents, with their 200 free-ranging leghorns could not compete. Big chicken outfit operators touted their big chicken outfits as the epitome of modernity. The chickens were inside all the time, so there was no threat from predators. And because the chickens were in cages that were off the ground, they were less subject to the diseases and parasites lurking in the soil.

And keeping the chickens in cages meant a whole lot less work. The cages had slanted wire floors, so the chicken poop went through, while the eggs rolled out for easy collection. The labor requirements were so minimal that the guys with big chicken outfits could keep a couple thousand laying hens for the same effort that we put into our couple hundred. And as time went on, flock sizes expanded to tens of thousands. Eventually, a typical barn would hold a hundred thousand chickens, with multiple barns making flocks of over a million on one farm.

It was later, as an adult, that I begin to realize the absolute cruelty of keeping hens in cages. Imagine living your entire life in a closet with a half dozen other people, never being able to move around, never doing any of the things you like to do, not even being able to simply stretch out your arms. You would hate that, wouldn’t you? You would probably go crazy, right? Well, chickens experience the same range of emotions that people do.

The Humane League

As more and more people have come to realize how badly modern animal farming has gone off the rails, a number of organizations have emerged to shine a light on abusive animal husbandry practices and work to change cruel and inhumane animal farming systems.

The Humane League (THL) is one of the most effective of these organizations. Since it was founded in 2005, THL has campaigned to get hens out of cages. It has convinced a multitude of large food companies, including Costco, Starbucks, and Dunkin' Donuts to use only cage-free eggs.

THL was one of the organizations fighting hard for California's Proposition 12 , which I recently wrote about right here, and which the US Supreme Court upheld in May. Prop 12 is undoubtedly the most significant US farm animal protection legislation ever. It outlaws cages for chickens, pigs, calves, and other animals in California. And more importantly, it stipulates that any animal products sold in the huge California market that are produced in other states must come from cage-free animals.

Vicky Bond

Vicky Bond has been president of THL since April 2022. Vicky is a certified veterinarian and an animal welfare scientist. Prior to accepting the THL presidency, she was the managing director of The Humane League United Kingdom. Under Vicky’s leadership, cage-free egg commitments were secured by every major food company in the United Kingdom and a bid for cage-free legislation was read by the European Parliament. More than a hundred food companies in the UK and the European Union, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, agreed to improve their treatment of chickens raised for meat in line with the Better Chicken Commitment. Vicky also helped The Humane League UK emerge as a pioneer in fish welfare, running the first-ever Aquatic Animal Welfare Conference.

I am delighted that Vicky was willing to take some time away from her important work to share some insights and information. I began with my most pressing question.

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Randy’s Chicken Blog: Have you ever owned backyard chickens?

Vicky Bond: Unfortunately, I have not.

RCB: Why in the world haven’t you?

VB: As someone who has rented most of my life, I’ve not had the opportunity to welcome backyard chickens into my life. But I have participated in helping a hen sanctuary in rehoming “spent hens” -those going to slaughter after about a year of age once they stop being so productive on a farm. It was rewarding to know all the hens went to homes to feel the sunshine on their backs and experience true care rather than the slaughterhouse they would otherwise be destined.

RCB: I’ve actually never considered rescuing “spent hens.” I’ve always taken the attitude that rescuing a few hens from the millions of battery-caged hens doesn’t make a difference. It’s like removing a few drops of water from the ocean. But just this year I read a wonderful new book—Under the Henfluence by Tove Danovich. Part of that book is about her rescuing two battery hens. As I read those chapters, it occurred to me that while rescuing a few hens doesn’t make any difference to the big picture, it makes all the difference to those hens. There may be a hen rescue in my future. But tell me about The Humane League. What do you do? Why do you exist?

VB: We are a global nonprofit. We work to end the abuse of animals raised for food. Billions of animals are kept in horrific conditions on farms in the US and around the world and we campaign to hold companies accountable to end one of the worst forms of cruelty in their supply chains. Like battery cages for laying hens. In the US alone over 300 million hens produce eggs. Most of them are confined in tiny wire cages without even enough space to spread their wings.

The Humane League has been chosen as one of the most effective animal organizations worldwide by Animal Charity Evaluators for all of their rating periods. We’re the only organization to receive this distinction.

We are a global organization, because the abuse of animals raised for food is a global crisis. We have staff and volunteers in more than 200 cities in 39 states throughout the US and in the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Japan. We’ve also initiated the Open Wing Alliance, a coalition of 100 animal protection organizations in over 70 countries to create a unified front in our campaign to free egg-laying hens from cages.

RCB: “Open Wing Alliance!” I love that name! I assume that’s a reference to the fact that caged hens never have the opportunity to spread their wings?

VB: Thanks, and yes. The name comes from the fact that we believe that all chickens should be able to spread their wings and engage in other natural behaviors.

Hens in cages (Photo: The Humane League)

RCB: Can you talk about what THL has done for chickens?

VB: On factory farms, where the vast majority of eggs come from, billions of egg-laying hens are subjected to a life of extreme suffering. They are packed into tiny wire cages in dark, dirty industrial facilities designed to churn out eggs. Cages cause hens intense psychological and physiological suffering. In cages, hens spend their lives in a crowded space about the size of an iPad, unable to fully extend their wings or even raise their heads all the way.

Thanks to THL’s persistent campaigning and partnerships and in coalition with other animal protection organizations, today, nearly 40% of the US egg-laying flock is cage-free. That number was only 5% when we started corporate cage-free campaigns in 2015. And today an estimated 100 million egg-laying hens per year in the United States will never face life in a cage. More than 2,200 companies—including 120 global companies—have adopted cage-free policies to end the use of battery cages. And 89% of companies around the world have already followed through on their promises to source all eggs from cage-free hens.

RCB: Name some names. Who are some of the companies you’ve been working with?

VB: Compass and Sodexo, two of the world's biggest foodservice providers, publicly shared their implementation plans for sourcing cage-free eggs, reducing crate time for pregnant and mother pigs, and making welfare improvements for chickens raised for meat in line with the Better Chicken Commitment, after our targeted campaigns. The hospitality giants Four Seasons, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Langham Hotels recommitted to a future without cages Following the launch of a report by the Open Wing Alliance.

RiteAid, Pokeworks, BJ's Wholesale Club, and Japanese restaurant giant Toridoll, each committed to sourcing 100% cage-free eggs in their supply chains, after our communications with those companies. HelloFresh, the largest meal kit company in the world, followed through on its commitment to eliminate cruelty against chickens raised for meat.

Currently, we are campaigning against one of the world's largest restaurant corporations, Jollibee. Jollibee Corporation and its seven subsidiaries use over 586 million eggs each year and is responsible for the confinement of millions of egg-laying hens who spend their lives packed in cages.

RCB: What is the THL vision for the future of animal husbandry? If we eventually get it right in this country, what will animal farming look like?

VB: THL’s goal is a future without factory farming. Factory farming—an industrial system that raises animals for food like commodities—results in the brutal deaths of billions of animals each year. Over 94% of all animals raised for food spend their lives within the abusive walls of this system.

RCB: Getting all laying hens out of battery cage torture chambers is an important and laudable goal. But “cage-free” under its current definition has many major shortcomings. “Cage-free” does not mean outdoors.

VB: We are working to dismantle factory farming and big social change is accomplished by taking meaningful steps. Cage-free production is the next logical step in reducing the extreme suffering of egg-laying hens. It reduces such a huge amount of suffering - over 7,000 hours for each hen!

But going cage-free doesn’t mean cruelty-free. It is a start in improving the welfare of laying hens on farms. Going free-range and organic gives the birds the highest welfare potential. And providing birds with a winter garden also ensures birds get some natural light and air during the time of year they are now closed in due to the risk of bird flu.

RCB: If getting hens out of cages is a first step, what comes next? Does THL envision a model for ethical “non-factory animal farming” that will be able to sustain the world’s burgeoning population? Or is ending all animal farming a necessary goal?

VB: We believe that a world that’s free of animal abuse starts with a world that has less animal abuse. Getting hens out of cages is the first step in finding alternatives to farm production that no longer needs animals for meat production. Plant-based options are becoming increasingly popular and cultivated meat has recently become approved for sale in the US. Our hope is while we work on removing the worst forms of cruelty on the planet more alternatives will appear and allow us to shift away from our reliance on animal production for a more sustainable world.

RCB: One final question that is, perhaps, a difficult one. Is there an ethical, sustainable model that allows omnivores to eat meat, dairy and eggs?

VB: No. Not unless it’s from cultivated meat/dairy/eggs. But, in the meantime, you can do more to help animals by reducing your consumption of products and switching to higher welfare products like free-range or ‘pasture-reared’ meat and eggs. It really does make a difference to an animal.

RCB: Thank you!

A big Randy’s Chicken Blog Thank You to Vicky Bond for her time and her candor in answering my questions. The interview was conducted via email and I have made edits and deletions for clarity and brevity. Also, a huge thanks to Karen Hirsch, THL Public Relations Manager, for the logistical help, information, and resources she provided, and for her patience as I discoursed ad infinitum on the details of my daughter’s upcoming wedding.

From Randy’s Chicken Blog

Five Ideas to Reduce Chicken Suffering, Improve Your Health, and Save the World

1. When you buy eggs, or any animal product, scrutinize the labels. The Certified Organic label on an egg carton should provide a guarantee that the hens that laid the eggs in that carton are treated humanely as stipulated by a set of federal guidelines. But there are giant loopholes in those guidelines that the slimiest of the giant egg producers slither through in order to charge higher “organic” prices for their inhumane eggs. Other than the “Certified Organic” guidelines, there are no federal standards. There are a number of independent animal welfare certifying agencies, though, and many egg producers and distributers voluntarily take the necessary steps to be certified by those agencies. Look for that certification on the carton when you buy eggs! Some of the certifying labels you can look for include Certified Humane, Global Animal Partnership, and Food Alliance Certified.

2. When you dine out, ask if the restaurant uses humane/sustainable eggs, meat and dairy products. I do, and I base my dining choices the answers I get. If everybody did this, restaurants would soon get the message about the expectations and desires of their customers.

3. Join/support action groups that are working hard to improve the lives of farm animals. There is power in numbers, and when food companies see that large numbers of consumers have sent emails, posted on social media, or signed petitions, they notice! One effective group you could join: The Humane League’s Fast Action Network. Vicky Bond suggests that “by taking three minutes to take action you can impact the lives of millions of animals at the click of a button.”

4. If you have the desire and the means, harvest eggs from your own happy chickens living in your own backyard. In addition to all those daily eggs, you’ll be able to be up close and personal with real live chickens – the most amazing animals in the world!

5. Reduce the amount of animal protein in your diet. How much should you reduce it? That’s your personal choice. But more and more people are going all the way to zero by choosing a plant-based diet. A vegan diet is a healthy, reasonable choice. And maintaining a vegan diet is becoming easier all the time with plant-based products from Beyond Meat, and Impossible Foods, that are high in protein, taste like meat, and are available at many restaurants and most large supermarkets. Plus, non-animal meat is on the cusp of availability and non-animal dairy is already on the market! Upside Food has recently received FDA clearance to produce chicken-free chicken meat, and Perfect Day is already producing cow-free dairy products. The future is here!