Up to 80 chickens can be placed in colony cages. Photo: SuppliedAnimal rights charity SAFE is calling on the government to follow the UK, where the government is consulting on banning caged hens. Battery cages have been banned in New Zealand since 2023; however, larger colony cages - which are much larger but house dozens of hens - are still allowed. In January, the UK government sought public consultation on its proposal to phase out the caging of layer hens by 2032. "In the meantime, over 1.2 million hens in New Zealand remain confined in colony cages every year because our government has failed to act."