Hen
A hen requires a minimum of 8 hours of light per day to perform natural functions.

Emu
A female emu lays its eggs then leaves the nest while the male emu sits on the nest for 8 weeks until the eggs hatch.

Pig
A pig needs to eat both plants and animals (an omnivore) and consume between 11-19 litres of water a day.

Cow
A cow requires 40 litres of fresh water per day to survive.

Dog
A dog needs to be vaccinated against a range of diseases including parasites.

Rabbit
A rabbit requires grass, weeds and certain types of vegetables to survive.

Animal welfare (how the hens are cared for)
Happy and healthy hens, free from disease and stress, produce more eggs. In Australia, we have very high standards in terms of how farmers care for their hens.

Environment (Housing)
In Australia, hens are housed in three different ways. Some are kept in cages in a big hen house. Some are kept in a big hen house where they are free to roam around. Others are kept in a hen house at night but are free to go outside during the day.

Health
Farmers look after the health of their hens very carefully so that the eggs they produce are good quality. They have programs in place to make sure the hens don't get sick from diseases and to prevent them from being attacked by pests or other predators.

Hen age
Most hens start laying eggs when they are between 3 and 6 months old. When they are young their eggs are small but they get bigger as the hens grow older.

Lighting
Light is very important for a hen as it will determine when she will start laying eggs and how many there will be. Hens lay more eggs in Summer or Spring as there are more hours of daylight. During Autumn or Winter the number of eggs a hen will lay decreases with the daylight hours.

Nutrition
Hens are omnivores so they eat a wide range of foods like plants, seeds and meat. A hen's diet needs to include six main nutrients. Farmers carefully plan what the hens are fed so they are healthy and happy egg layers.