How enriched colony cage systems compare to conventional cages and free-range systems in delivering welfare outcomes for laying hens.
Enriched colony cages represent an improvement over conventional battery cages but fall significantly short of meeting laying hen behavioral needs. The fundamental welfare limitation is space - hens in enriched cages cannot perform normal locomotion, flight attempts, or full wing spreading, and access to nest boxes and perches is often limited by competition. The honest welfare assessment is that enriched cages are better than battery cages but substantially worse than free-range or barn systems. Consumer and corporate campaigns have correctly identified enriched cages as an insufficient endpoint and pushed for cage-free commitments that provide genuinely better welfare outcomes.