Furnished cage

Many design features of furnished cages have been incorporated because research in animal welfare science has shown them to be of benefit to the hens.

[7] All major UK supermarkets have promised to stop selling eggs from furnished cages by 2025.

[11] In April 2010, the Norwegian grocery chain Rema 1000 decided to stop selling eggs from both battery and furnished cage hens by the year 2012.

[12] Several more industry groups have decided to voluntarily phase out furnished cages as well, such as NorgesGruppen by 2019[13] and Nortura by 2024,[2] while in April 2017 the Green Party proposed to ban furnished cages throughout the country by 2025.

To create space for large groups of hens, some designs of furnished cages are very long.

This indicates that furnished cages protect against the keel breaks that are common amongst non-caged hens and also protects against the effects of osteoporosis prevalent in battery cages causing bones to be weak and easily broken during depopulation.

In this study, mortality rates were above the breed standards in all systems except the furnished cages.

The small amount of litter that is provided in furnished cages is often distributed quickly or flicked out the cage, possibly resulting in frustration for hens wishing to dustbath and resulting in sham dustbathing.