Free Range Eggs

Free range eggs come from hens housed in sheds that have access to an outdoor range for at least 8 hours during the day. They return to sheds for roosting, laying, drinking and eating. About 15% of eggs sold in Australia are free-range.

Hens in this system have the following welfare advantages:

Access to an outdoor range and the ability to move around.
Hens are able to display an extended range of behaviours including nesting, foraging for food, perching and dust-bathing.
Larger flock sizes allow more social interaction with other birds.

Disadvantages include:

Greater exposure to the elements and predators.
Greater occurrences of manure-borne diseases and parasites.
Larger flock sizes make it more difficult to identify and remove birds for treatment.
Higher likelihood of feather-pecking, infighting and cannibalism.
Increased risk of flying into objects leading to increased bone breakage during lay.