Cage-free egg production is expanding globally, but cage-free alone does not guarantee good welfare. Enrichment design including perches, litter, and nesting areas determines actual welfare outcomes.
The cage-free transition is a major welfare achievement, but the welfare quality of cage-free systems varies enormously depending on design and management. Hens in poorly designed cage-free barns with inadequate perch space, insufficient litter for dustbathing, and crowded nesting areas may have worse welfare than hens in furnished cages that provide these resources in small groups. Welfare science has identified the critical enrichment features that determine whether cage-free means meaningfully better welfare: litter for dustbathing, adequate and appropriately designed perches, private nesting areas, and stocking densities that allow movement without competition. These features should be requirements, not optional additions, in any cage-free certification scheme.