The shift from battery cages to cage-free systems represents a major step forward for laying hen welfare, but cage-free systems present their own welfare challenges that require attention.
The cage-free transition is genuinely welfare-positive for laying hens in many respects, allowing natural behaviors that are completely prevented in battery cages. However, the transition has revealed new welfare challenges. Keel bone fractures are now recognized as a major welfare problem in cage-free systems. Pecking and aggression can be severe in large flocks. Air quality in poorly managed cage-free barns can compromise respiratory health. Welfare science is actively studying how to maximize the benefits while minimizing new risks from cage-free systems.