The industry-wide transition from battery cages to cage-free systems, while welfare-positive overall, introduces new welfare challenges including feather-pecking, falls, and difficulty finding nest boxes that require active management.
The cage-free transition welfare story is nuanced: simply replacing cages with barns is not sufficient to guarantee welfare improvement. The welfare advantage of cage-free systems is real but contingent on management quality. The specific challenges of multi-tier aviary systems — feather-pecking, falls from high tiers, ammonia management — require proactive management that some producers have not adequately invested in. The most welfare-honest position acknowledges that cage-free done well is significantly better than cages, but cage-free done poorly can have welfare outcomes comparable to or worse than well-managed enriched colony cages. Consumer certification schemes that audit management quality rather than just housing type provide better welfare assurance.