Free-range egg production offers welfare advantages over cage systems but faces its own welfare challenges around ranging behavior, pecking, and flock management.
Free-range labeling creates a consumer expectation of high welfare that may not reflect the reality on the ground. Legal free-range requirements permit high indoor stocking density, up to 16,000 hens per flock, and do not guarantee outdoor ranging behavior. Injurious pecking is common in large free-range flocks. Higher welfare is achieved through pasture-raised, organic, or certified schemes that set stricter requirements on density, flock size, and range quality. The gap between legal minimum and best practice is substantial.