sincethegreater totalnumberofeggsobtainedmadefora
larger return on capital and labor, which more than
compensated for the higher costs in respect of what the
researcherstermed“birddepreciation.”^60 Indeed,ifeggprices
arehigh,thereportconcluded,“fivelayerspercagemakea
greater profit.”This situation parallelsthat whichwe have
alreadyseendemonstratedwithregardtobroilers,andagain
provesthatanimalfactorymanagerscanmakebiggerprofits
bykeepingtheiranimalsinmorecrowdedconditions,even
thoughmoreoftheanimalsmaydieunderthoseconditions.
Sincelayingeggsisabodilyfunction(likeovulationfora
woman)henscontinuetolayeggs,evenwhentheyarekeptin
conditions that frustrate all their behavioral needs.
Sothehensthatproduceoureggsliveanddie.Perhapsthose
who die early are the lucky ones, since their hardier
companions havenothingin store forthem except another
few months of crowded discomfort. They lay until their
productivity declines, and then they are sent off to be
slaughteredandmadeintochickenpiesorsoups,which by
then is all they can be used for.
Thereisonlyonelikelyalternativetothisroutine,anditis
notapleasantone.Wheneggproductionbeginstodropoffit
is possible to restore the hens’ reproductive powers by a
procedure know as “force-molting.” The object of force-
molting is to make the hen go through the physiological
processes associated, under natural conditions, with the
seasonallossofold plumageand growthoffresh feathers.
Afteramolt,whethernaturalorartificial,thehenlayseggs
morefrequently.Toinduceahentomoltwhensheisliving
inacontrolled-environmentshedwithoutseasonalchangesin
temperatureorlengthoflightrequiresaconsiderableshockto