Happy Hens Farm has become the first Indian producer to label its eggs as “free-range,” as an indication of their hens’ high welfare and space allowances, a move supported by the Humane Society International.Happy Hens Farm can label their eggs as free-range because the hens on their farm can move about freely within a large yard or take cover in a spacious indoor enclosure, and can engage in natural behaviour such as foraging outdoors, perching, and nesting.
“At Happy Hens Farm, we believe that we have the responsibility to provide these animals every opportunity to express natural behaviour,” said Manjunath Marappan, the farm’s co-founder.
Happy Hens Farm’s decision to implement higher animal welfare standards comes on the heels of a growing movement against battery cage egg production and farm animal cruelty within the country. Hotels including Crowne Plaza Today-Gurgaon, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai and Hotel Ramada Plaza New Delhi, as well as specialty restaurant Hao Shi Nian Nian and celebrity chef Mako Ravindran have ended their procurement of eggs from caged hens.
