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Egg labels explained: What matters for layer hen welfare

Not all egg labels tell the full story. Find out what to look for when choosing eggs and how your choices can support better welfare for hens.

RSPCA Australia
Thursday, 5 November 2026

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Many Australians want their food choices to support better animal welfare. More than 80% of eggs sold in Australian supermarkets are now cage free (barn laid) or free range. Yet carton wording and images can make it difficult to understand how hens were raised and cared for. 

Choosing cage-free or free-range eggs is always better for layer hen welfare than choosing cage eggs. Understanding the labels and looking for credible information can help you choose eggs produced with welfare as a priority. 

Egg labels, cracked 

In Australia, eggs are typically labelled according to the farming system that produced them (cage, cage free or barn laid, and free range). Free-range eggs are required to include the outdoor stocking density (space allowance) on their cartons; however, stocking density alone is not necessarily a conclusive indicator of good welfare. 

Cage eggs

Cage eggs: Almost all cage eggs come from layer hens confined to barren battery cages. Each hen has less space than an A4 sheet of paper and spends her life standing on wire, without a nest, perch or litter for dust bathing and foraging. She cannot move freely or fully stretch and flap her wings. More than five million layer hens in Australia are still confined to these cages. 

Almost all cage eggs come from layer hens confined to barren battery cages, in which each hen has less space than an A4 sheet of paper and spends her life standing on wire, without a nest, perch or litter for dust bathing and foraging. She cannot move freely or fully stretch and flap her wings. At present, more than five million layer hens in Australia are still confined to barren battery cages. Labels you might see on egg cartons such as ‘hen coops’ and ‘enriched colony reared’ give the romanticised impression of an idyllic country life for hens. However, they are simply alternative labels for cage eggs from conventional cage systems or furnished cage systems. Furnished cages provide more space and sometimes enrichment for layer hens; however, inherently, no cage system can fully cater for a hen’s physical and behavioural needs.  

Labels such as ‘hen coops’ and ‘enriched colony reared’ can suggest an idyllic country life, but they are alternative labels for eggs from conventional or furnished cage systems. Furnished cages provide more space and sometimes enrichment, but no cage system can fully meet a hen’s physical and behavioural needs. 

In July 2023, Australia’s agriculture ministers endorsed the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry. Thanks to strong advocacy from organisations such as the RSPCA, these provide for barren battery cages to be phased out, with the last cages to close no later than 2036. 

Animal welfare is regulated separately by each state and territory, and implementation has been slow. So far, WA is the only state to have proactively implemented the Standards. Until every jurisdiction acts, millions of hens will continue to spend their entire lives confined to cages. 

Consumers can support better welfare for layer hens by avoiding cage eggs and purchasing barn laid, free range, or egg alternatives.  

Cage-free or barn-laid eggs 

‘Cage free’ and ‘barn laid’ describe essentially the same farming system. Hens live in large sheds (barns), with room to move, nest boxes for laying eggs and, in some sheds, raised levels they can access. These systems offer freedom of movement that cages deny, but welfare still depends on how the barn is designed and managed. 

Not all barns provide enrichment, perches or quality litter. Ask your preferred egg brand how hens are kept inside the shed, or look for reputable third-party certification with detailed, publicly available housing standards, such as RSPCA Certified. 

A well-managed barn is a very good alternative to a cage system. It also offers added protection from the elements, predators and disease risks, such as avian influenza. 

Free-range eggs 

Free-range eggs: Hens in free-range systems have access to an outdoor range during daylight hours and spend their nights in sheds with access to nest boxes in which to lay their eggs in the morning. Outdoor access can provide valuable opportunities for hens to forage and explore, but the words ‘free range’ do not guarantee good welfare on their own. Hens in free-range systems have access to an outdoor range during daylight hours. At night, they stay in sheds with nest boxes where they can lay their eggs in the morning. Outdoor access offers valuable opportunities to forage and explore, but ‘free range’ alone does not guarantee good welfare. 

Hens need a well-managed indoor environment (as even free-range hens will spend the majority of their time indoors), as well as an inviting range with shade, vegetation, and plenty of shelter to help them feel protected. Without shelter, many hens may be reluctant to venture far outside. 

Australian law permits an outdoor stocking density of up to 10,000 hens per hectare but does not, by itself, require broader welfare provisions. Ask the brand for more information about how its hens are raised or look for third-party certification. 

Organic and pasture-raised eggs: Other common labels on free-range egg cartons are ‘certified organic’ – hens raised on an organic diet free from chemicals and antibiotics, with access to outdoor areas, and usually certified by an organic certification program. And ‘pasture raised’ – hens who have access to pastures and live in smaller mobile housing units which are moved around the paddock. Neither term should be treated as a guarantee of the conditions on offer, or of good welfare. Check who has certified the product, read their animal welfare standards, and look for clear information about the hens’ housing, range, care, and management. 

Marketing claims: Phrases such as ‘natural living’, ‘farm fresh’ and ‘Australian grown’, along with images of green rolling hills or countryside landscapes can often give the illusion of eggs coming from a different type of farming system than they actually do. These are largely buzzwords that give no real indication of how a hen has lived or the conditions on farm. Whole shell eggs sold in cartons in Australia are produced domestically, so ‘Australian grown’ does not indicate a higher-welfare system. Claims such as ‘no de-beaking’ are also misleading, since layer hens do not have their beaks removed in any system, though beak trimming (which removes part of the beak) may still occur to reduce the risk of severe feather pecking. For mindful consumers, focus on specific, verifiable information, rather than language that may sound good but reveals nothing. 

So, what does better welfare look like for layer hens? 

Layer hens are intelligent, inquisitive, and social birds. Better welfare means more than preventing pain, suffering, and distress. It also means providing an environment that supports positive experiences and allows each hen to express the behaviours that are important to her. Layer hens need enough space to move freely, turn around, stretch and flap their wings, as well as suitable places to lay their eggs, perch, forage, scratch, and dust bathe. 

When it comes to better farmed animal welfare, consumers can be influential with the choices they make. Each purchase of an animal product is a vote for the system that produced it. Your choices matter and you have the power to liberate hens from cages when you purchase higher-welfare eggs such as cage free (barn laid) and free range. While it may take a little extra effort to do your research beyond the claims on the carton, the potential impact for caged hens is significant. 

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Egg labels explained: What matters for layer hen welfare

Egg labels, cracked

Cage eggs

Cage-free or barn-laid eggs

Free-range eggs

So, what does better welfare look like for layer hens?

Stay informed on big issues and how you can help improve animal welfare across Australia.

Egg labels, cracked 

Cage-free or barn-laid eggs 

Free-range eggs 

So, what does better welfare look like for layer hens? 