hens

Protecting Chickens from Extreme Confinement (Arizona)

Three humane reforms for hens in the egg industry

Chickens are among the most abused animals, yet have few legal protections. Now, Arizona’s Department of Agriculture has established regulations protecting hens used by the egg industry from the cruelest form of intensive confinement.

Updated

June 29, 2022

Work Type

Legislation

Status

Victory

Chickens are among the most abused animals, yet have few legal protections. Fortunately, Arizona has become the 10th state to protect hens used by the egg industry from the cruelest form of intensive confinement on factory farms. The Arizona Department of Agriculture has established new regulations, taking full effect in January 2025, which:

  • mandate cage-free conditions for hens, outlawing battery cages — small wire cages where each hen is given less space than the dimensions of a sheet of printer paper in which to spend her entire life.
  • require that hens be able to engage in certain vital natural behaviors, such as perching, nesting in boxes, dust bathing, and fully extending their wings.
  • prohibit the sale of eggs from hens confined in a way that doesn’t meet these standards, even if produced in another state.

To learn more about animal protection laws and regulations in Arizona, visit aldf.org/arizona.

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