Cage Free Poultry Defined

Cage free is an animal welfare term that simply means the birds are not confined in cages.

The USDA defines cage-free to mean animals can "freely roam a building, room, or enclosed area." it However, does not include a requirement for outdoor access. (To be labeled free-range, the USDA does require a set amount of time chickens should have access to the outdoors, but they still need housing for protection and health monitoring.)

According to the International Food Information Council the majority of broiler chickens are raised in large barns called “grow-out houses” that help protect the chickens from predators and adverse weather conditions and allow farmers to assess chicken wellness more quickly.

The World’s Poultry Science Journal notes that conventional cages were banned in The European Union in 2012. Since then, European regulations have focused heavily on stocking density (the maximum weight of birds allowed per square meter of floor space) and air quality/ammonia thresholds.

Low stocking density is crucial to a good cage-free program. Under conventional systems, tens of thousands of chickens might share a single floor, often leaving them with less than a square foot of space per bird as they reach full size.

The best cage-free programs allow poultry enough room to walk around, commune with other birds, rest and eat and drink when they want. The floor is covered in materials like wood shavings or straw to encourage scratching and expressing other natural behaviors like dustbathing. Structures within the houses or barns allow the birds to climb, roost, or play. They have room to roam indoors but do not necessarily have access to the outdoors. Chickens and other birds like to stay close to water and feed, usually located within the building, to keep the feed and water free of bacteria and away from predators, rodents and insects that might be drawn to it.