Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

In 2009, a farmer on the Suffolk/Norfolk border offered the chickens to Little Hen Rescue because, at the age of 72 weeks, they were no longer at their most commercially efficient in terms of egg-laying and would be slaughtered otherwise.

Jo Eglen, who set-up the rescue centre in 2008 at Newton Flotman, asked Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Suffolk to help find homes for the birds using the airwaves:

"It's the biggest operation we've ever done. We've done 2,000 with help from another chicken rescue, but never 4,000 on our own.

"In the intensive farms, their egg-quality goes down, but once they're out in the open and free-range they will lay an egg every day for you.

"A bag of food costs about Β£6 and if you've got six hens that'll last you three weeks."

Almost all the hens have been found new homes and, although some are lacking in plumage and have had jumpers knitted for them, their feathers should grow back.

Jo Eglen at Little Hen Rescue

Chris from Cavendish in Suffolk asked for 24 hens: "I've got a pony and donkey shelter. I give the eggs away to family and friends in return for donations and that feeds the donkeys."

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Suffolk's breakfast presenter Mark Murphy said: "Jo contacted us and we did interviews on air with her. I've been completely gob-smacked by the response.

"I thought we might get rid of around 50 hens, but the fact that nearly all 4,000 birds have been taken is just amazing."

Meanwhile, the arguments continue about whether battery-farming is 'compassionate' and whether consumers care where their eggs come from as long as they're cheap.

The economics of eggs

The British Egg Information Service (the egg industry's promotional wing) says around 10 billion eggs are consumed in the UK each year - and of those 8.5 billion are produced here.

Of those, 58% are from battery hens (or 'caged' birds as the industry calls them), 38% are free-range or organic and 4% are barn eggs. The Service's spokesman Kevin Coles said: "We produce eggs from caged birds because the consumers want to buy them.

"The UK has the largest free-range flock in Europe, but there are consumers out there who want the cheapest [battery/caged] eggs and if the UK didn't produce them, they'd be produced elsewhere."

Mr Coles said standards are in place for caged birds: "Losing feathers isn't a problem for the birds. They lose them through rubbing on the bars of their cages.

"It doesn't look nice, but the welfare conditions they're kept in are important. If the birds are stressed or unhappy, they'll lay fewer eggs and that's not in the interests of the farmer.

"Consumers will vote with their pockets ultimately."

The National Farmer's Union regional office in Newmarket estimates there are around 2 million hens in East Anglia - which is around 9 percent of the UK's laying flock. There's no breakdown telling us what percentage are caged/battery, barn or free-range.

At the moment each caged hen has about 0.5m² of space for itself. The BEIS says that in 2012, new regulations come in which will introduce 'colonies' rather than 'cages' and each bird will have 0.75m² of space.

"They're still in cages, but the birds will have more room and more height where they can show more natural behaviour."

Mark-ups

One Suffolk producer that's been free-range since 1996 is Havensfield Happy Hens at Hoxne. Farmer Alaistaire Brice said they have 30,000 hens across 10 sites:

"The difference between what we get for the egg and what the supermarket gets is a huge gulf. It's actually one of the supermarket's biggest profit providers."

Havensfield says it produces a dozen free-range eggs for 90 pence, it sells them directly for Β£1.20, but in a supermarket they would probably charge around Β£2.78 for the same dozen eggs. "Ridiculously high," according to Mr Brice.

"My message to the consumer is to shop at your local independent store. We supply 150 outlets in Norfolk and Suffolk and it'll be cheaper than the same egg on the supermarket shelf.

"A cage system compromises welfare and, as Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have shown, consumers are prepared to compromise on price when recession bites. However, the 'colony' system is still a 'caged' bird."

That said, Havensfield acknowledges there are limits to going free-range. "It's not possible to say we can produce all our eggs free-range," said Alaistaire.

Rescued hens at Dallinghoo

"This is due to planning issues, disease regulation etc. If we over-populate the countryside with free-range chickens we're going to get problems.

"We need a system with choices for people who're on benefits or on Β£100,000 a year. But my message to consumers for the basics of bread, meat and eggs is to shop locally because the food will be fresher and it cuts down on food miles as well."

However, Havensfield, while keeping its free-range flock, is looking at adding a barn hen system which they say will provide a cheaper egg which doesn't compromise welfare.

He also suggests, that if we've got space, then more of us need to start growing and producing our own food again, which takes us back to....

The big chicken giveaway

Jo Eglen of Little Hen Rescue is a vegetarian and a campaigner for free-range and organic egg production:

"There are hundreds and hundreds of battery farms and I realise we can't take all their hens, but doing that little bit for those hens is the best I can do.

"With the battery farming it is the supermarkets and the people that are buying the eggs that keeps it going.

"Not only are we re-homing hens, hopefully we're informing people as well. I've had quite a few people say that they didn't even realise battery farms still existed!

The joy of eggs

"I'm a mother with a part-time job. I've obviously got my own hens, but I do understand how it is hard and households have got to keep to a budget, but having a bit of respect for an animal - just for a few more pence, I don't think you can just leave it.

"Round here in East Anglia, there's a lot of free-range eggs from people's houses and free-range farms and they're normally quite cheap. I think the best solution would be for people to have their own hens.

"It's always better free-range - the eggs taste better anyway."

For fuller descriptions of the industry definitions of caged, barn and free-range mean, you can visit the British Egg Information Service website.