A human-sized cage next to a woman in a chicken suit – this was what Chico State students saw while walking through campus on Wednesday.

The cage, an important element for Animal Place’s Brave the Cage campaign, is meant to spread awareness about the conditions that 95% of hens in the egg industry live in.

Jeannie Trizzino, local activist and volunteer fake chicken, decided to help with the campaign to demonstrate how uncomfortable it can be to be stuck in a cage, just like many chickens are.

“These are wired cages that the birds live in for 2-3 years in just awful conditions,” said Trizzino. “There are just thousands of birds in a big hen house with no sunlight, just artificial light, inadequate ventilation, and it’s really awful for your lungs, and it’s really bad for birds. They’re just barely alive.”

Animal Place, a sanctuary for various farm animals, uses Brave the Cage to visit college campuses and advocate for better treatment of farm animals.

“You would never treat your dog or your cat the way we treat these animals,” Trizzino said.

Christine Zuniga can be reached at [email protected] or @kissssteen on Twitter.