Greens MLC, Giz Watson, said battery cages caused unnecessary suffering and should be banned. Claire Burnett, from the Body Shop, said animal protection was one of the shop's core values, so it was helping to raise awareness of the Free Chook 2000 campaign. She said barn fresh and free range eggs were the only ones not produced in cages. She said Golden Farm Eggs would respond to consumer demand. When April the hen was rescued she had no feathers and had never been out of her cage, which covered a space smaller than an A4 page.
Many hens have physical deformities from standing on wire floors, feather damage and skin abrasions.
Most have osteoporosis and broken bones due to lack of exercise and the burden of incessent egg production. Studies have shown that one of a chicken's most important drives is to nest and lay eggs in a private nest, which is not possible in a battery egg farm. April now lives in a big chook run, with other rescued hens, has made her own laying nest, and is happily producing eggs. The wrong group of Aborigines was consulted about plans for housing on land owned by the University of WA, according to the Nyungah circle of elders. Wayne Brown, property administration manager for UWA, said he was trying to set up a meeting with Ms Jackson and other elders after being told they had not been consulted.