Laying hens have strong behavioral motivations for foraging, dust-bathing, perching, and nesting that must be accommodated for good welfare. Enrichment provision transforms behavioral quality of life.
Laying hens are behaviorally complex animals with strong, specific motivations that are frequently frustrated in commercial settings. The motivation to nest before laying is so strong that hens confined without access to nesting areas show distress behavior over extended periods before being forced to lay on cage floors. Dust-bathing on inadequate substrate or in absence of substrate results in sham dust-bathing — the complete behavioral sequence performed on unsuitable or absent material — an indicator of motivation that cannot be suppressed. Meeting these behavioral needs is not a luxury but a welfare obligation for any system claiming to provide good welfare. Enriched environments that provide foraging substrate, perches, nest boxes, and dust-bathing areas enable hens to express their behavioral repertoire and experience positive states.