Dustbathing is a fundamental behavioral need in laying hens that is poorly addressed in many cage-free systems lacking appropriate litter, causing significant welfare frustration.
Dustbathing is among the most highly motivated behaviors in laying hens, and its frustration in systems that lack appropriate substrate is a welfare failure that persists even as the industry moves from cages to cage-free. Many cage-free systems provide slatted or wire flooring with limited litter access, meaning the nominal provision of litter does not translate to meaningful dustbathing opportunity. Hens deprived of dustbathing opportunities perform vacuum dustbathing on inappropriate substrates — a behavioral indicator of frustrated motivation. Welfare-positive cage-free systems provide accessible, appropriate litter at sufficient depth throughout the flock area and maintain it in a condition suitable for dustbathing through regular renewal. Certification schemes that include dustbathing frequency as a welfare outcome measure identify systems that genuinely meet this need.