Massachusetts is facing an unprecedented egg shortage if a 2016 ballot measure intended to promote animal welfare becomes law on January 1, 2022. Voters in 2016 voted on the measure which requires that eggs sold in Massachusetts come from hens with at least 1.5 square feet of floor space. The U.S. standard for factory-farmed poultry is 1 square foot per hen. In the almost 6 years since voters approved the measure, industry leaders say that farming methods have changed to integrate vertical spaces which give the hens more space without having to increase facility square footage. If the legislature does not move to amend the measure, the available supply of eggs in Massachusetts could drop by 90%.
Update: On December 22, Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker signed a bill into law to avert the egg crisis. “The new standards would allow farmers to hold hens in spaces of less than 1.5 square feet provided they have access to vertical space.”
It may seem shocking to hear that factory-farmed laying hens are only allotted one square foot of floor space. Texas’ Home Food Security Bill (aka “The Chicken Bill”) that died in the Texas Senate in 2021 required twenty square feet of combined housing and outdoor space per hen. And of course many backyard hens enjoy far more than twenty feet.
Keeping a few backyard laying hens is a great way to protect yourself from unexpected food shortages, and a much more humane way to raise animals than factory farming. Backyard chicken keepers will generally tell you that hens are quiet, friendly, and intelligent. They eat kitchen scraps and forage for insects, reducing waste and pest problems. As an added bonus, their waste is compostable, unlike dog and cat waste. During World War I, the government actually encouraged every family to keep laying hens!
