More than 90 percent of California's 20 million egg-laying hens are kept in battery cages.
Animal rights activists say the cages, which hold anywhere from three to ten hens, are often so small that birds rub off their feathers while pressed against the wires.
And on some farms, cages are stacked on top of each other, forcing hens in bottom cages to live in waste, according to the activists.
"Egg-laying hens are packed so tightly that they're given less space than the size of a sheet [of paper] to live their lives," said Gene Baur, president of Farm Sanctuary, a New York-based rescue organization for farm animals that backed the California measure.
Armstrong, the egg farmer, acknowledges that there may be a few "bad farmers" who mistreat their animals. But he said the overwhelming majority of egg producers provide a safe and healthy environment for their hens.
"The truth is that farming is dirty. It's not a pretty business," he said.
"We treat our hens as humanely as possible. But these are animals that are raised for food, not as pets."
(Learn what to ask your local farmer, according to the Green Guide.)
Rebuilding
Much of the debate has focused on how much it will cost to change practices, and each side has offered different takes on the measure's economic impact.
Opponents say that California egg producers will not be able to compete with out-of-state farmers who have no similar bans on battery cages.
One study from University of California, Davis, predicted that the measure could essentially wipe out California's egg industry, leading to the loss of 5,750 jobs.
Armstrong, whose company houses 600,000 chickens in cages and keeps another 60,000 out of cages, said the new regulations will cost him U.S. $30 per chicken to implement, a total of U.S. $18 million.
"We would have to tear down our barns and rebuild them from scratch," he said.
Proponents say the economic fears are exaggerated, citing one study that puts the increased cost at less than one cent per egg.
"Some of these crazy calculations are based on the idea that hens all have to stretch their wings at the same time" in the new housing systems, which is not what the regulations say, said Baur of Farm Sanctuary.
"What I believe producers will do is go to an aviary system, and purchase nest boxes where the birds will be allowed to fly a little bit and be able to move around to give them a more natural life."
Proponents also point to studies showing that the risk of diseases such as salmonella decreases in uncaged birds.
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