There are millions of farm animals in Quebec. They surround us and feed us and yet we know very little about their living conditions. After collecting testimonies from producers, animal rights defenders and experts, The duty invites you to discover the life cycle of the main farm animals in Quebec, from their birth to the slaughterhouse, as well as the resulting concerns in terms of animal welfare. Note that all the practices mentioned are authorized by the codes of practice governing animal husbandry in Canada. Today: laying hens.
Quebec has six million laying hens — almost all raised exclusively indoors — which produce 1.8 billion eggs annually. About 40% of Quebec laying hens live in conventional cages, the use of which was banned in Europe in 2012. These cages, in which a living space smaller than an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet is granted to each hen, will also be banned from Canada in 2036 to make way for enriched, slightly more spacious cages equipped with perches and nesting space. A look at the life of a laying hen in Quebec.
From their first hours of life, while they are still in the hatchery, the male chicks — which have no commercial value — are separated from the female chicks. “We call that ‘sexing’ the chicks on the wing,” explains Paulin Bouchard, president of the Federation of Quebec Egg Producers and poultry producer in Beauce. “Workers look at the tip of the chick’s wing: in the male, the beginning of the feather is more jerky, while in the female, it is more united,” he says.
All male chicks — about six million a year in Quebec — are euthanized by gas. A practice of mass killing which is strongly denounced by animal rights organizations. In Europe, technologies which make it possible to determine the sex of the chick while it is still in its shell have started to be marketed. “It’s an interesting technological advance,” agrees Paulin Bouchard. But the costs are enormous and would lead to an increase in the price of eggs, he says. And the gains in terms of animal welfare are not yet clear, he nuances, since the embryos would be sensitive possibly from the seventh day of incubation.
Trimmed beaks
Shortly after the birth of the female chicks, their beaks are trimmed using a laser to round their tip and thus avoid pecking and cannibalism, common in hens. “It’s an extremely important animal welfare gesture that is done painlessly – it’s like cutting your nails – to prevent the hens from getting hurt [entre elles] “, argues Paulin Bouchard.
A vision disputed by Me Sophie Gaillard, Acting Director General of the Montreal SPCA. According to her, it is the too small living spaces allocated to the hens that create these problems. “These are animals which, in their natural state, have a hierarchy and can have conflicts between them, but when you pile them together, it creates problems of aggression”, she denounces.
What we choose as a system therefore comes down to our values and what we believe to be animal welfare.
From their 19e week of life, pullets begin to produce eggs. Laying hens are usually kept in groups in cages located inside buildings that often do not have windows. A living environment that is considered optimal by producers in terms of food, air quality, warmth and light offered to hens. “Often, we do anthropomorphism, we say to ourselves because the sun and freedom represent that for me…, says Paulin Bouchard. But we have the eyes of human beings, we don’t have the behavior of a bird. »
Only 4% of laying hens, those whose eggs are certified organic, have access to the outside in Quebec – access that was restricted this year due to avian flu. Moreover, it was not possible for The duty to visit a laying hen farm due to bird flu restrictions.
In the province, 60% of laying hens have made the transition from conventional cages — where they each have a living space of 432 cm2i.e. an area smaller than an 8.5 x 11 sheet — to enriched cages — where they benefit from a living space of 580 to 750 cm2in addition to having access to perches and nesting spaces so that they can express their natural behaviors more.
Far from being easy, the debate on housing for laying hens is more complex than it seems, underlines Jamie Dallaire, professor specializing in animal behavior and well-being in the Department of Animal Sciences at Université Laval. Studies have shown that in systems that provide greater freedom for hens — such as aviaries or outdoor access — higher mortality and greater health problems occur, he reports. Questions that can however generally be resolved as the producer gains experience with this new breeding model.
“What we choose as a system, therefore, comes down to our values and what we believe to be animal welfare, notes Professor Dallaire. Is it more physical well-being [une vision généralement adoptée par les producteurs] or rather the possibility for animals to express their natural behaviors [une vision généralement adoptée par les défenseurs des droits des animaux] ? »
One egg a day
During her laying cycle, the hen lays about one egg per day. A productivity that has increased over the years thanks, among other things, to genetic selection. Crosses were made to obtain more efficient hens. Today, the laying hen is “a bird that is tall, thin, slender and that is productive in terms of eggs”, unlike the broiler, which fattens easily, mentions Paulin Bouchard. A gain in productivity which was also obtained thanks to a better controlled living environment.
But this productivist logic is at the expense of animal health, believes Sophie Gaillard. “Chickens lay a lot of eggs, which means that they lose a lot of calcium [pour créer les coquilles], making them more prone to fractures and osteoporosis. “A reading that raises eyebrows Paulin Bouchard:” when the hen lays a good quality egg every day, it is because she is in good health, otherwise she would protect herself [en diminuant] its production,” he insists.
When the hen reaches the end of its laying cycle, around 12 to 14 months, it is sent for slaughter to be transformed into broth or chicken nuggets. “It’s not a quality chicken,” says Paulin Bouchard. But it is a meat that comforts certain palates.