Chickens

Can we better prepare hens for cage-free living?

UC Davis animal welfare experts test ways to reduce broken bones

Consumers are clamoring for cage-free eggs, and producers are scrambling to meet the demand.

In 2017, nearly 16 percent of all hens in the U.S. were in cage-free production. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 75 percent of all laying hens will need to be cage free by 2026 to meet market demand.

Backyard chickens need more regulation

Safety of birds, people, at stake, a UC Davis study suggests

Historically, keeping backyard chickens was a response to economic hardship — whether it was in the Depression or during wartime food rationing.

How Vaccines Ward Off Deadly Chicken Disease

Findings offer clues to how to boost immunity in humans

A new study from University of California, Davis, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture describes how vaccines work against a deadly virus in chickens, and could offer a model for related human diseases such as chickenpox.