Livestock

Aviary Systems for Laying Hens: Welfare Assessment

Aviary housing systems allow laying hens to use multiple levels and express more natural behaviours than enriched colonies, but come with their own welfare challenges.

Key Facts

Aviary systems provide perches, nest boxes, and litter on multiple tiers
Injury rates from falling are a welfare concern especially for pullets learning aviary navigation
Feather condition is generally better in aviary than enriched colony systems
Bone strength improves with greater movement opportunity in aviary housing
Air quality management is more challenging in multi-tier systems requiring careful ventilation

Welfare Considerations

Aviary housing allows hens to express a wider range of natural behaviours than enriched colony cages, including free locomotion, wing flapping, and better access to resources. The welfare benefits are real but require good management to realise, including careful pullet rearing in similar systems before transfer and ventilation management to control ammonia levels. Aviary systems are increasingly the default for cage-free egg production.

What You Can Do

Support eggs certified to aviary or better standards as a minimum
Ask retailers about the housing systems used by their egg suppliers
Advocate for cage-free commitments from major food businesses
Support research into optimal aviary design for laying hen welfare
Encourage producers transitioning to cage-free to access welfare implementation support