Farmed Animals

Pasture-Raised Egg Welfare Standards

Pasture-raised egg systems provide the highest welfare outcomes for laying hens by allowing outdoor access on rotating pasture with low stocking densities.

Key Facts

Pasture-raised systems typically provide minimum 108 square feet per hen of outdoor access
Hens on pasture can express full natural behavioral repertoires including foraging, dust bathing, and ranging
Rotating pasture access prevents overgrazing and maintains vegetation cover for natural foraging
Predation management is essential in pasture systems and affects mortality rates significantly
Pasture-raised eggs command significant price premiums reflecting higher production costs

Welfare Considerations

Pasture-raised systems provide the most complete welfare outcomes for laying hens of any commercial production system, enabling the behavioral expression that confined systems prevent. The space, vegetation, and outdoor access support dust bathing, foraging, and social behavior in ways that fundamentally differ from cage and cage-free systems. Consumer willingness to pay for genuinely high-welfare eggs drives market expansion of pasture systems.

What You Can Do

Choose Certified Humane or Animal Welfare Approved pasture-raised eggs as the highest welfare option
Understand that basic cage-free systems fall significantly short of pasture-raised welfare outcomes
Support premium pricing for genuine welfare improvements as an investment in better farming
Advocate for pasture-raised standards as a goal for laying hen welfare legislation
Share information about the spectrum of laying hen welfare standards with other consumers