Free-range and pasture-based laying hen systems allow hens to express natural behaviors, but the quality of range access varies enormously between farms and certification standards.
The term free-range can be misleading if range access is nominal rather than meaningful. Hens that technically have outdoor access but never use it receive no welfare benefit from that provision. Range design, pop-hole width, predator protection, vegetation cover, and stocking density all determine whether birds actually go outside and benefit from it. Welfare assessments of free-range systems must consider range utilization rates, not just the existence of outdoor access. The highest welfare commercial egg systems provide genuine pasture access at low stocking densities, allowing foraging, dustbathing in soil, and expression of the full behavioral repertoire.