Group housing allows livestock to express social behaviours that are fundamental to their welfare, with well-managed group systems outperforming individual housing across multiple welfare domains.
Social housing for livestock is not merely an ethical aspiration but a welfare imperative for social species. Individual housing prevents the expression of affiliative behaviours including social grooming, play, and resting together that are intrinsic to normal welfare. Group-housed animals show lower fear, better stress resilience, and faster recovery from illness. Management challenges including aggression introduction and individual health monitoring are tractable with good stockmanship. The welfare science is clear: social housing is superior for social species when well managed.