OAR 603-018-0005: Cage-Free Housing System Standards for Egg Laying Hens

(1) It is prohibited to confine egg-laying hens to enclosures including battery cages, enriched colony cages, or other confinement systems that significantly restrict the hen’s ability to stand, roam, perch, scratch, dust-bathe, nest, or otherwise exhibit her natural behaviors on commercial egg producing farms except; (a) during medical research; or (b) during an examination, a test, an individual treatment or an operation conducted for veterinary purposes; or (c) during transportation or depopulation operations, if the confinement does not exceed seven days in any 18-month period; or (d) during a rodeo exhibition, state or county fair exhibition, 4-H program exhibition or similar exhibition; or (e) during the slaughter of the egg-laying hen in accordance with applicable laws and rules; or (f) on a temporary basis for animal husbandry purposes, if the confinement does not exceed six hours in any 24-hour period or exceed 24 hours in any 30-day period. (2) Egg-laying hens may be confined inside cage-free housing systems designed to facilitate both the care and humane treatment of the hens housed and the harvesting of their eggs on a commercial egg producing farm if the cage-free housing system meets either; (a) the standards in subsection (3) of this section, or (b) the commercial egg producing farm has a current cage-free certification covering the egg-laying hen housing systems on the farm issued by either United Egg Producers (Cage Free Certified), American Humane Farm Program (Humane Certified), A Greener World (Animal Welfare Approved), Global Animal Partnership (Animal Welfare Certified), Humane Farm Animal Care (Certified Humane), or other certification program requiring substantially similar animal husbandry practices as those required in subsection (3) of this section where the housing systems meet the usable floor space requirement in subsection (3)(a) of this section, or (c) the commercial egg producing farm is actively seeking one of the current cage free certifications in sub-section (3)(b) of this section. For example, a commercial egg farm with an active application for cage-free certification which is still pending a successful audit or is pending the correction of audit findings would be considered compliant until certification is denied or there is an absence of further progress towards certification. (3) Alternative specifications for housing systems used for the care and management of egg-laying hens: These specifications mirror those found in “United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg Laying Flocks (2017)” in the chapter titled “Guidelines for Cage-Free Housing” and will be used to assess compliance in the event a commercial egg producing farm does not hold a cage-free certification as specified in sub-section 2 of this section. (a) Usable Floor Space; a minimum of 1.0 square feet of usable floor space per hen in multi-tiered housing systems and a minimum of 1.5 square feet of usable floor space per hen in all other housing systems is required. (b) Perch space; a minimum of 6 linear inches of perch space is required per hen with a minimum of 20% of the available perch space shall be elevated a minimum of 16 inches above the adjacent floor and one (1) horizontal foot away from the adjacent perches and walls. (c) Scratch Area; scratch areas shall cover a minimum of 15% of the usable floor area of the house, (d) Nest Space; a minimum of 9 square feet of nest space per 100 hens is required. (e) Access to Fresh Food; Feeding systems must be arranged so that hens travel a maximum of 26 feet within the house to reach fresh food with a minimum of 1.5 linear inches feeder access per hen. Each side of a feeder accessible to a hen contributes to the feeder access requirement. (f) Access to Fresh Water (Drinkers) Requirements: Watering systems must be arranged so that hens travel a maximum of 26 feet within the house to reach fresh water, and there is; (A) a minimum of 1 bell drinker per 100 hens, or (B) a minimum of 0.4 inches of perimeter space per hen for circular troughs, or (C) a minimum 0.5 linear inches of linear trough side access per hen, or (D) a minimum of 1 nipple drinker per 10 hens. (g) Multi-Tier Housing System Specific Requirements; (A) the vertical distance between tiers, which also includes the floor to the first tier must be between 1.6 and 3.3 feet (measurements taken between the floor or slat area to the underside of the underside of the overhead manure belt), and (B) the angle of decent between adjacent tiers must not exceed 45 degrees, and (C) a system for the removal of manure must be provided on tiers above the floor level. (h) Lighting must be adequate for personnel to carry out their duties inside the housing system without reliance on supplemental lighting such as flashlights or lanterns. Duties include the visual inspection of food, water, and individual hens throughout the housing system. (i) The housing system shall be designed and operated so that a continuous flow of fresh air is provided for every bird to minimize her exposure to carbon monoxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and dust. (j) The average ammonia level inside the housing system shall be maintained at 25 ppm or less. The average shall be calculated based on representative measurements obtained throughout the housing system. (k) The housing system must be maintained to protect the overall health and well-being of the flock housed. Systems designed to provide for food, water, light, ventilation, and the removal of manure shall be maintained in good working order while the housing system is in service and it shall provide adequate protection for the hens from unmonitored visitors, wild birds, predators, rodents, pests, etc.