Enriched colony cages replaced conventional battery cages in the EU, but welfare scientists debate whether enriched colonies provide adequate improvement. Meanwhile, cage-free transitions are accelerating.
Enriched colony cages represented a genuine but inadequate improvement over battery cages. Hens in enriched colonies can perform some natural behaviors — using nesting boxes and perches — but space allowances remain insufficient for dust bathing, wing flapping, and running. The transition to cage-free systems is welfare-positive for behavioral freedom but creates new challenges: higher feather pecking rates, keel bone fractures from perch use and flying, and dustbathing competition require careful management. The welfare-optimal cage-free system — with adequate space per bird, high-quality litter, good air quality, and appropriate perch and nesting provision — significantly outperforms enriched colonies on most welfare metrics. But poorly managed cage-free systems can produce worse welfare outcomes than enriched colonies. Consumer certification preferences should reward high-quality implementation rather than simply the cage-free label.