Farm Animal Welfare

Poultry Range Quality Vegetation and Welfare

The quality of outdoor range vegetation significantly affects whether free-range hens use outdoor space and benefit from it.

Key Facts

Dense uniform grass without cover objects deters range use in free-range hens
Scattered shrubs and cover areas increase range use by 3-5 fold in some studies
Range distance from pop-holes is a major limiting factor with most use near the house
Silvopasture systems with trees provide shade, cover and foraging opportunities
Rotation of range areas allows vegetation recovery and parasite management

Welfare Considerations

Range quality determines whether free-range is a genuine welfare benefit or merely a label. Investment in cover, shade, vegetation variety and pop-hole distribution transforms range use and welfare outcomes for free-range flocks.

What You Can Do

Support free-range egg schemes with documented range quality standards and monitoring
Advocate for range quality requirements in free-range certification beyond mere space provision
Ask egg producers about their range quality management and hen range use data