Many free-range laying hens do not use their outdoor areas effectively, limiting the welfare benefits that free-range systems should provide.
Free-range welfare benefit depends on actual outdoor use rather than mere access provision. Systems where only a small minority of birds venture outside fail to deliver the welfare benefits that free-range certification promises consumers. Outdoor areas that are barren, open, and without overhead cover expose hens to perceived predator risk from aerial predators that deters most individuals from venturing far from the pop holes. Investing in range enrichment through tree and shrub planting, providing artificial shelters at intervals across the range, and creating gradual vegetation density that allows hens to move further from the building while maintaining cover access dramatically increases the proportion of birds using outdoor areas and their behavioral diversity when outside.