Video Presentation

Introduce the egg farm investigations video by telling students that they are going to actually see the inside of a “battery unit.” Warn them that some of the footage is disturbing, and empower them by assuring them that they can close their eyes or step out of the room if it becomes too difficult to watch. But also remind them that this may be their only chance to see the inside of these facilities.

Show the “Egg Farm Investigations” video.

After the video, encourage the class to discuss what they saw. Use the following questions and information to lead the discussion:

• What is your reaction to the video?
• Do you think that it should be legal to confine hens to battery cages, debeak them without painkillers, and neglect those who are sick and injured?
(Animals raised for food are exempt from the cruelty-to-animals statutes of most states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture—which is responsible for enforcing the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), the only federal law protecting animals—has decided that birds do not deserve even the meager protections provided by the AWA.)
• Did you have any idea that animals were raised on factory farms like this?
• Why do you suppose that before watching the video, you didn’t know how chickens are treated to produce eggs? (There are a variety of possible answers to this question. They might note that the egg industry hides factory farms from public view, that egg industry advertising and claims—like the “humane care certified” stamp—are deceptive and misleading, that media outlets don’t want to report on it because it might offend their advertisers, or that the public would rather not know because it would make them question whether they should eat eggs at all.)

During the discussion, students may pose questions that you cannot answer. If this happens, ask students how they could find the information, then assign someone to find it and report back to the class.