The Good Egg

Every day, Australians tuck into millions of eggs. They come from all sorts of egg farms across the country—big, small, free range, barn-laid, caged. In this podcast, explore the living conditions of egg-laying hens around Australia with journalist Wendy Hargreaves, and hear from farmers and experts about the many different factors we need to consider when trying to make ethical decisions about eggs. 

More and more, we’re interested in where our eggs come from, and whether the hens that lay them are ‘happy’. But how much do we know about what makes a good life for a hen? Where did our current ideas about hen welfare come from, and is it ever possible to measure hen ‘happiness’?Wendy Hargreaves visits Kinross Farms in Victoria, and speaks to Regional Manager Ruben Dare and Farm Manager Brian Smith. We also hear from Dr Dana Campbell, a research scientist at the CSIRO specialising in hen behaviour, and Dr Hugh Millar, who spent 11 years as Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer.

A huge part of hen welfare is the health of the flock. Caged farming systems seem like prisons to many people but they were actually developed to make hens healthier. Now, with hens moving back outdoors, some of the health challenges from 50 years ago are re-emerging. The farmers at Days Eggs know the trade-offs involved in hen welfare well—they operate caged, barn laid and free range farms in South Australia. Join Wendy Hargreaves as she visits Managing Director Dion Andary and Welfare Officer Jess Spencer, and learns about hen health in all farming systems.