(Bloomberg) -- The march to convert the U.S. to cage-free eggs continues, with the entire West Coast now on board with the trend.
Oregon joined California and Washington state in the past week, with a law signed Friday that requires all eggs sold in the state to come from cage-free operations. Eight states currently have laws in place that either ban or put limits on conventional cages, in which birds are kept in wire cages with space the size of a sheet of paper -- not enough to turn around or stretch their wings.
The Humane Society of the United States called the law a “monumental win” for chickens in tiny cages, and that the birds won't just get more space, but also places to perch, scratch, nest and take dust baths.
About 67 million hens are cage-free in the U.S., out of around 330 million total, according to U.S. government data.
In states where cage-free eggs are the baseline, it'll make buying more expensive specialty eggs less of a leap, said Matt Sherman, chief marketing officer of Handsome Brook Farm.
Handsome Brook produces pasture-raised eggs from hens that roam outdoors. A dozen can cost more than $6 or $7. “It's the beginning of a movement,” he said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Lydia Mulvany in Chicago at lmulvany2@bloomberg.net;Leslie Patton in Chicago at lpatton5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Attwood at jattwood3@bloomberg.net
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