Question

Two groups could not agree by which end an egg should be opened -a-the little or the big. Just like the egg issue,

Answer 1

While the general public perception of cage-free or free-range eggs is that they are laid by chickens frolicking in a sunny meadow, the reality is different.

"What is happening in the free-range system is that you have no cages, but there's not a dramatic amount of more space available," Mitloehner says. "You still have barns that the animals are in, so they run around freely but are still in a tight area that is artificially ventilated."

Cages were originally used because they made it easier to extract eggs – the eggs roll down a hill to a collection area, never coming into contact with manure – and also to remove manure, which typically falls through the cage bottom onto a conveyor belt, where it is removed three times a day, Mitloehner says.

The disadvantage of the cage system is that the birds are more cramped, with less space to move, he says. But that lack of space translates to efficiency in the Egg Industry Center report. Because the hens aren't moving, they're not exerting energy on much other than producing eggs.

Complexities of 'cage-free'

Meanwhile, the disadvantage of the cage-free system is that manure stays in the barn and can build up, Mitloehner says.

"Animals have a natural drive to work their way through manure to find worms, insects and so on, and they do eat manure as well," he said. "So that's a big problem with respect to food safety and animal safety because animals in that system are now in contact with their manure. If one bird has salmonella, all of the other birds get sick too. Also, anywhere from 10% to 20% of the eggs are soiled because they're laid on that dirt floor."