In the U.S., by federal law passed more than 50 years ago, neither laying hens nor any other type of poultry can be fed hormones. However, eggs contain natural hormones. Therefore, the statement “no hormones” is considered misleading to the consumer. The egg industry does not use added hormones in the production of shell eggs. The FDA requires a qualifying statement on the label for shell eggs, which is “Hormones are not used in the production of shell eggs.”