Creating a healthier hen

Here’s one animal test that could lead to reduced animal suffering: UC Davis received part of a $6 million grant to study the impacts of conventional cage housing, enriched cage housing and cage-free housing on egg-laying hens. The grant comes from the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply, which is made up of animal-welfare scientists and other nongovernmental organizations and is run by the nonprofit Center for Food Integrity. With the grant, scientists at UC Davis and Michigan State University aim to evaluate bird life cycles, health and behavior as well as environmental impacts, food safety and worker safety.