Globally, interest in cage-free egg production continues to grow. As of 2024, about 16% of all egg-laying hens worldwide live outside of cages, and that number is rising. Chickens raised in cage-free environments generally have a higher quality of life than those raised in cramped battery cages, making this an important topic for researchers and advocates alike. However, while progress is clearly being made, gaps in our knowledge remain regarding the current state of cage-free egg production in countries such as Japan.

To help fill this gap, a researcher from Azabu University’s Animal Resource Economics Laboratory reached out to 691 Japanese egg farms to survey their housing systems and thoughts on cage-free production. They received 138 valid responses, including 64 from cage-only farms, 53 from cage-free farms, and 21 from “mixed farms” with both cage and cage-free systems.

Farm Size

The total population of chickens on the responding farms was close to 28.3 million, of which almost 900,000 were kept in cage-free housing, representing about 3% of the chickens counted.

Mixed farms tended to have the most chickens, averaging about 470,000 birds per farm, with roughly 28,000 of those being cage-free. Cage-only farms averaged about 287,000 chickens per farm, and cage-free-only farms were the smallest with about 5,700 chickens per farm on average.

Housing Types

Caged chickens were housed in similar systems on both mixed farms and cage-only farms, with most kept in battery cages (93% and 95%, respectively).

However, cage-free housing varied between mixed farms and exclusively cage-free farms. Both used single-tier floor systems, though cage-free-only farms were far more likely to use this housing setup (94% versus 43% of birds). On mixed farms, roughly half (50%) of chickens were kept in aviaries and just over half (56%) were kept in windowless houses. None of the cage-free-only farms reported using aviaries or windowless houses.

Space Allowance

Average housing space for caged chickens exceeded the Japan Poultry Association’s recommended 430 square centimeters per bird. Hens in battery cages were given an average of about 449 square centimeters of space on cage-only farms and 477 square centimeters on mixed farms.

Cage-free farms generally provided more space than the European Union’s standard of 1,111 square centimeters per bird. Single-tier floor systems on cage-free-only farms offered hens an average of about 4,067 square centimeters of space and 2,172 square centimeters on mixed farms.

Not surprisingly, cage-free facilities were also more likely to have nest boxes, litter, perches, and other features.

Farmers’ Challenges

Similar to previous studies, cage-free farms highlighted pecking and bullying between hens, as well as floor eggs, dirty eggs, disease risk, and difficulty managing manure and maintaining litter as common issues encountered with their housing systems. Mixed farms were more likely than cage-free-only farms to name high mortality (33% versus 6%) and a lack of established cage-free production standards in Japan (33% versus 15%) as challenges.

Other frequently reported challenges included selling price, developing sales channels, and increased labor. More mixed farms than cage-free-only farms listed decreased laying rates (47% versus 28%), reduced feed efficiency (43% versus 26%), equipment depreciation costs (33% versus 17%), low percentage of eggs that can be sold as cage-free (29% versus 6%), and low marketability rates (24% versus 6%) as concerns.

Farmers’ Reasons To Go Cage-Free

Cage-free respondents named value-added sales as one of the top reasons they got into cage-free egg production. However, when it came to other reasons, cage-free-only farms were more likely to point to welfare-related motivations, while mixed farms tended to highlight further financial motivations.

Cage-free-only farms often listed factors like improving chicken health (60%), chicken welfare (58%), improving egg nutrition and taste (49%), and enhancing chicken immunity (36%). Mixed farms often cited social and business partner needs (67%), improving egg and business image (63%), and global trends (33%).

Farmers’ Willingness To Expand

Cage-only farms were generally not interested in shifting to cage-free systems, with only 17% responding positively. However, most cage-free farms expressed interest in expanding their operations, with 79% of cage-free-only farms and 62% of mixed farms being open to more cage-free production in the future. Larger cage-free operations with over 10,000 birds were especially keen (84%).

Takeaways

The researcher highlighted five key points of interest from their findings:

1. Farms currently producing cage-free eggs seem to be willing to expand their operations.
2. Cage-free housing space likely meets or exceeds recommendations across most farms.
3. Technical and management challenges highlight the need for research and support to help cage-free egg farmers with marketing channels and pricing.
4. Generally speaking, two types of cage-free operations exist: those motivated by chicken health and welfare and those responding to social demands.
5. The development of cage-free egg farming depends on the consumer base and consumer awareness needed to support the transition.

The results highlight the different motivating factors behind Japanese egg farmers’ choice of housing systems. While increased profits can be a powerful incentive to improve conditions, there are still farms acting out of a genuine concern for animal welfare. Overall, it appears as though farms focused on the health and well-being of their chickens are more likely to go above and beyond, giving their birds more space and more enrichment.

The good news is that respondents were generally exceeding recommendations when it came to space allowance, and that farms which already had cage-free housing seemed interested in expanding these operations. However, it should be noted that the survey represents only an estimated 42% of layer farms in Japan. As a result, the findings may be biased towards farmers more interested in animal welfare and more likely to meet industry standards.

Still, for animal advocates, this study demonstrates that some progress is being made in improving conditions for egg-laying hens in Japan, and that more progress is possible. While financial incentives are not the only means of advancing animal welfare, encouraging welfare-minded consumers to buy products that align with their ethics can support businesses with similar motivations — and demonstrate to larger, more profit-focused ones that a market exists. Ultimately, improvements in animal welfare will depend on both marketability and good will.