The welfare trade-offs between different laying hen housing systems are complex, with each system offering advantages and disadvantages that comprehensive assessment must weigh.
Laying hen welfare comparisons reveal that there is no system that performs best on all welfare measures: caged systems prevent keel fractures from flying but prevent natural behaviours; free-range systems allow expression but create injury risks; barn systems have intermediate profiles. Management quality determines welfare outcomes within any system. The welfare improvement trajectory requires moving away from cages while simultaneously solving the management challenges of cage-free systems — especially keel bone health and disease management.