Types of Husbandry for Laying Hens

Types of Husbandry for Laying or layer Hens

How do chickens live in a cage, a barn, in free-range or in organic farming systems?

22.6.2023

Laying or layer hens are kept in various ways in the egg industry. Most of them are extremely stressful for the chickens. FOUR PAWS explains how hens are living when caged, in a barn, and in free-range and organic husbandry systems.

Battery cages

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Less than an A4 sheet of paper


- Two-thirds of all layer hens in Australia confined in battery cages
- Four to seven hens live in one cage (Max. 18 hens per m²)
- Chickens stand all day long on wire mesh floor, without daylight
- 5-10% die prematurely in the cage
Read more here.

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Barn housing or "cage free"

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15 hens per m²


- Max. 15 hens per m²
- Over 6,000 hens can be crowded into one barn
- Crowd-induced stress is a common cause of death
Read more here.

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Free range

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Can range from 1-6.7 m² of exercise space during day


- Have access to an outdoor range during the day.
- The conditions indoors are the same as barn housing.
- No standard definition: A hen can be given 1 - 6.7 m² of space.
Read more here.

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Organic farming

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Free range without chemical use


- Produced without chemical use
- There are two main standards with differing definitions for 'free range', ranging from a max. 1,500 to 10,000 hens per hectare. 

Read more here.

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How are eggs in battery cages produced?

While more concerned Australians are buying cage-free eggs over the past 5 years, more than 5 million layer hens, or around 65-70% of all layer hens in Australia, are still currently confined to battery cages. The laying hens live in tiny cages in conventional battery cells. A chicken has an area of 550 square centimetres – less than an A4 sheet of paper. Four to seven hens live in a cage. These cages are often stacked in double rows and up to eight floors above each other. Many thousands of these cages can be stacked in sheds - sheds that may contain up to 100,000 birds.

The laying hens live crowded together on wire mesh floor, without daylight. They cannot scratch the ground, flutter their wings, or sandbathe. Synthetic vitamins, medicine and colourings are added to the feed and the daily animal losses are high.

A lack of exercise and sunlight cause brittle bones and osteoporosis. Serious injuries, such as broken bones and wing fractures, are commonplace. Standing on the wire mesh will injure the ball of the toes. Since the animals cannot scratch the ground, their claws do not wear out and the chickens can easily injure each other.

In addition to the obvious illnesses and injuries, there is constant stress. The hens cannot live out their species-appropriate behaviour in the laying battery cages: They can neither peck and sandbathe, nor stretch their wings. Resting, walking, jumping, or flying is also of course not possible.

The martyrdom of the chickens in the laying battery cages lasts about 12 to 14 months. However, five to ten percent of the animals do not survive this time and die prematurely in the cage. Often undetected by the staff, they are trampled through the bars by the other hens and rotten.

Whether cages, barren or so-called enriched cages – behind all these terms there are cages in which chickens cannot live in a species-appropriate manner!

How are cage-free or barn-laid eggs produced?

Nine hens per square meter live in huge halls if they are kept on the floor only. If perches and laying nests are installed on several floors (so-called aviary housing), it can even be 15 hens per square meter.

Even more than 6,000 hens can be crowded into such an compartment. This overwhelms the animals when it comes to the formation of hierarchies and pecking order – this, amongst other factors, leads to behavioural disorders such as feather pecking and cannibalism and to the so called 'crowding effect' – animals step back from their normal behaviour to tolerate the high crowding for assessing lifesaving resources. This instinct is functional if it lasts for short terms, however if it is constantly overused, it will lead to stress and aversive effects for health and welfare. Crowd-induced stress is a common cause of death for barn hens.

As in cage rearing, the hens also lack employment in barn rearing because there is no green space. Behaviours such as foraging, scratching, and pecking can only be practiced to a limited extent in such an attitude, especially since the animals have less space here than in free-range husbandry. Regularly bringing in fresh litter and similar occupational materials is particularly important here.

How are free-range eggs produced?

There is no standard definition for organic or free-range eggs in Australia. Because of this, the stocking density for 'free-range' eggs can range from 1,500 chickens per hectare to 10,000 hens per hectare, the latter of which would not qualify as true free-range according to global standards.

In general, free range means chickens have access to the outdoors for at least 8 hours a day. For the rest of the night, the conditions in the shed still correspond to those of barn housing and can vary widely. A humane barn would have perches, laying nests and littered scratching areas available. With this type of husbandry, the hens' basic needs can be implemented much better than in the cage. 

While the CSIRO Model Code of Practice states there should be a maximum of 1,500 hens per hectare on an outdoor range, which gives each hen a minimum of 6.6 square metres of exploration space per animal during the day, the government standard allows for a maximum of 10,000 hens per hectare, meaning a hen only gets 1 sqm of outdoor space (equivalent to four chooks on a double bed).

But problems can also arise in large free-range holdings, for example overexploitation of the exercise area near the stall and the green area. Parasites can accumulate in puddles and muddy areas and affect the health of laying hens. To prevent this, it is necessary to regularly remove and replace the floor material near the stall. There are various ways of keeping it dry and hygienically clean, for example by pouring coarsely structured, water-permeable material. 

There is also a problem that the animals do not use the space to the full extent due to a poorly structured pasture run. Shelter, bushes, and pastures that are close to the stall, make it easier for the hens to go out, as they feel protected and can immediately find shelter in the event of danger (e.g. from birds of prey). A regular change of pastures is also necessary in order to maintain the grass turf. Unfortunately, these management requirements are often not taken into account and it is claimed that the animals do not want to go outside.

How are organic eggs produced?

Of all the forms of husbandry, organic farming is potentially the most animal friendly as all organic eggs are free-range. However, because there is no standard stocking density requirement for free range, and organic eggs, the husbandry rules are not always observed in practice. 

In general, organic egg farming means chickens are fed organic feed produced without pesticides, chemically synthetic fertilisers, and genetic engineering. Antibiotics and vaccines are also avoided as much as possible. 

Other than that, chickens are raised in a free range manner which means chickens have access to the outdoors for at least 8 hours a day. For the rest of the night, the conditions in the shed still correspond to those of barn housing and can vary widely. A humane barn would have perches, laying nests and littered scratching areas available. With this type of husbandry, the hens' basic needs can be implemented much better than in the cage. 

While the CSIRO Model Code of Practice states there should be a maximum of 1,500 hens per hectare on an outdoor range, which gives each hen a minimum of 6.6 square metres of exploration space per animal during the day, the government standard allows for a maximum of 10,000 hens per hectare, meaning a hen only gets 1 sqm of outdoor space (equivalent to four chooks on a double bed).

In addition, the large groups can also lead to behavioural disorders in the animals. Overbreeding of laying hens is another cause of animal suffering, also in organic farms.

Problems in keeping laying hens

Problems can arise in any form of keeping laying hens. Behavioural disorders, such as feather pecking and cannibalism, occur particularly in large facilities with many thousands of animals per group. That is why the tip of the beak of most laying hens is still clipped (docked) today. This procedure is performed on the chicks in the first days of life and is extremely painful. It happens regularly that the animals die as a result. In principle, no hens with docked beaks may be kept on organic farms and farms that meet special animal welfare requirements. There are also countries that have prohibited beak trimming altogether, but have still maintained good feather scores and low levels of pecking and cannibalism, proving that beak trimming is not the only answer to those issues.

However, such problems are seldom observed in well-managed farms with smaller stocks. Ultimately, what matters is the attitude and vigilance of the operations manager. One of the most animal-friendly forms of keeping laying hens is the mobile chicken coop. But a fixed housing system with well-run exercise and pasture management can also be described as very animal friendly.

Chick killing for all types of husbandry

From an animal welfare point of view, one of the biggest problems in the egg industry is, that every form of keeping of laying hens is preceded by what is known as “sexing”. All male chicks are sorted out and killed. Day-old male chicks will not lay eggs and are therefore uneconomical for the industry. Learn more about day-old male chicks here.

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