Battery cage bans represent one of the most significant animal welfare policy achievements in history, yet the transition to cage-free systems is incomplete and new welfare challenges have emerged.
Battery cage bans represent genuine welfare progress — the cramped, barren conditions of conventional cages prevent nearly all natural behavior and cause chronic stress in millions of hens. Yet the transition to cage-free housing has revealed new welfare challenges. Cage-free barns can experience higher rates of injurious pecking, smothering, and disease transmission. The welfare of hens depends critically on barn design, stocking density, enrichment provision, and management quality — not just the absence of cages. A cage-free label is necessary but not sufficient for high welfare. The field of laying hen welfare has learned that housing system transitions must be accompanied by advances in genetics, management, and enrichment to fully realize their welfare potential.