04.10.2013

Manitoba Egg Farmers (MEF) which represents nearly 170 egg and pullet producers, has banned the installation of any new conventional cages after Dec. 31, 2014. Instead of conventional cages, producers will be required to use a furnished or enriched housing system, which provides birds with more space, perches, scratching surfaces and private nesting boxes. Free-run aviaries are also an option for producers moving away from the conventional cage system. Roughly a dozen Manitoba producers, representing 120,000 laying hens, have already adopted the new system. By providing hens with more space — 700 square centimetres per bird versus 420 in the old system — aggression is also lessened. A four-cent levy rebate on marketable dozens of eggs has also been introduced to help producers cover transition costs. So far there is no deadline for removing conventional cages.