RSPCA welfare standards for laying hens
Our detailed RSPCA welfare standards have been developed to represent good practice in the care and welfare of commercially-farmed laying hens at all stages of their lives.
RSPCA welfare standards
Welfare standards supporting documents
In addition to the RSPCA welfare standards, the standards justification document and standards comparison documents below provide the rationale behind key standards and a comparison of the RSPCA standards with other key assurance schemes. Please note some of the below content refers to incoming standards, which are dated within the document.
We've worked in collaboration with the Soil Association, research sector and industry to produce the laying hen feather cover advice guide, providing guidance on improving feather cover in laying hens.
Please also see additional documents for feather loss monitoring and record sheet, examples of perch placement and the justification for verandas.
Information on the culling of male chicks by the egg industry
The routine culling of day-old male chicks within the egg industry presents significant ethical concerns. As male chicks are not suitable for egg production and are not economically viable for meat, they are typically killed shortly after hatching. While efforts continue to develop humane and practical alternatives, current practices must prioritise animal welfare and be carried out in the most humane way possible.
Read more about this issue in the below information sheet.
RSPCA laying hen standards technical advisory group
Members of the advisory group are selected on the basis of the specific expertise they bring to the group in different areas of laying hen care. Members include:
- RSPCA poultry specialist
- RSPCA Assured members
- A poultry veterinarian
- A poultry researcher
- Technical/field operations representatives of RSPCA Assured