4-26 news: Perdue University works to reduce chicken “cannibalismâ€
Scientists and egg producers warn that deadly skirmishes that start with feather-plucking and turn into bloody frenzies when a bird's pecking breaks a flockmate's skin will increase if those same aggressive hens are moved from small cages with five to 10 birds to open pens that can hold dozens.
The Humane Society of the United States has pushed for laws banning battery cages in which birds are packed tightly together. According to the Associated press, egg producers say that creates another problem: The white leghorn hens that lay most of the nation's eggs are territorial and prone to pecking attacks so fierce they're called “cannibalism.” The fights increase in big groups.