atit.Ifthispeckingdrawsblood,furtherpeckingwillresult,
which can lead to cannibalism.
Hensalsoprovideanotherkindofevidencethattheynever
losetheirnestinginstinct.Severalofmyfriendshaveadopted
afewhenswhowereattheendoftheircommerciallaying
periodandabouttobesenttotheslaughterhouse.Whenthese
birds are released in a backyard and provided with some
straw,theyimmediatelystarttobuildnests—evenaftermore
thanayearspentinabaremetalcage.InSwitzerland,bythe
end of 1991, the law will require that laying hens have
protected, darkened,and soft-flooredor litter-lined nesting
boxes.Swissscientistshaveeveninvestigatedwhatkind of
litterhenspreferand foundthatboth cagedhensand hens
whohadbeenrearedonlitterpreferredoathusksorwheat
straw;assoonastheydiscoveredthattheyhadachoice,none
laid eggs on wire floors or even on synthetic grass.
Significantlythestudyfoundthatwhilenearlyallthehens
rearedonlitterhadleftthenestingboxesforty-fiveminutes
after they were admitted to them, the cage-reared birds
seemedtobesoentrancedwiththeirnew-foundcomfortsthat
attheendofthisperiod 87 percentofthemwerestillsitting
there!^50
Thisstoryisrepeatedwithotherbasicinstinctsthwartedby
thecagesystem.Twoscientistswatchedhenswhohadbeen
keptincagesforthefirstsixmonthsoftheirlivesandfound
thatwithinthefirsttenminutesafterrelease,halfofthehens
hadalreadyflappedtheirwings,anactivitythatwasbarely
possible in the cages.^51 The same is true of
dustbathing—another importantinstinctive activity that has
beenshowntobenecessaryformaintainingfeatherquality.^52