Decades of laying hen welfare research have identified key interventions improving hen welfare. Translating research into practice requires regulatory and market pressure.
Laying hen welfare research has achieved significant impact on housing standards globally, with the EU battery cage ban representing one of the most significant farm animal welfare legislative achievements. However, welfare challenges persist across all housing systems. The keel bone fracture problem is a major welfare issue in enriched and free-range systems that often surprises consumers who assume free-range is automatically higher welfare. Research has identified perch design, litter management, and bird density as key modifiable risk factors. Feather pecking prevention requires integrated approaches combining lighting management, early-life behavioral development, breed selection, and environmental enrichment. Consumer understanding of hen welfare beyond simple binary cage/free-range thinking would drive more nuanced market demand for genuinely high-welfare eggs.