RSPCA welfare standards for Laying Hens

The RSPCA welfare standards for laying hens were developed by the RSPCA's Farm Animals Department to represent good practice in the care and welfare of commercially-farmed laying hens at all stages of their lives. They cover essential welfare areas including nutrition and water quality, housing and environmental conditions, health monitoring through Veterinary Health and Welfare Plans (VHWP), and strict protocols for management, transport, and slaughter. The standards are effective from July 2025.

Table of Contents: Introduction; Food and water; Environment; The range; Management; Health; Welfare outcome assessment (WOA); Transport; Slaughter/killing; Appendix 1: Transport-standard operating and emergency procedure; Appendix 2: Depopulation Action Plan (DAP); Appendix 3: Case study: Successfully providing raised perching for laying hens; Appendix 4: Explanatory diagram for multi-tier systems; Appendix 5: Feather loss monitoring and intervention; Appendix 6: AssureWel Laying Hen Assessment Protocol and Scoresheet; Index. 

114 pages. PDF. The standards are continually reviewed and revised by the Farm Animals Department at the RSPCA. Please NOTE: No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Please see the latest version of this publication & Welfare standards supporting documents: RSPCA standards justification & Laying hen standards comparison. For more information, please click here.

To see information on the other welfare standards reports on pullets (laying hens); chickens; hatcheries; turkeys; domestic/common ducks; pigs; dairy cattle; beef cattle; sheep; and farmed Atlantic salmon, please click here.

ISBN: 1898331995

Price: Online version: Free of charge