The gap between required enrichment and actual behavioral opportunity for laying hens is significant, requiring outcome-based rather than resource-based assessment.
Enrichment requirements that specify the presence of equipment without requiring that all birds can use it simultaneously are inadequate. A single nest box serving 50 hens does not meet nesting needs for the majority. Outcome-based auditing that counts actual behavioral expression rather than equipment presence would reveal that many certified systems fall short of their welfare claims.