EAST LANSING -- Michigan State University researchers are wiring up chickens to study how they live “outside the box”. Most egg producers keep their hens in confined cages all their lives. Grocery stores charge up to 50-cents more for eggs from free range chickens, but living outside the cage has its own issues. Some poorly designed “free range” spaces can lead to health problems, fighting and even cannibalism. They also require more feed and are more labor intensive.
MSU Researchers are putting sensors on the birds to determine how much space hens need to be happy and healthy. If animal rights groups in Michigan use ballot initiatives to force the hand of farmers, as they have in California to improve the living conditions of laying hens, it may become the norm rather than the eggs-ception.
