Veterinarians
Veterinarians see the consequences of housing decisions up close. Called in to treat illness and prevent future health problems, they have a ground-level view of how different systems affect hens that most other stakeholders simply don't have. Their central concern is straightforward: that housing standards hold up for the animals living inside them.
Stance
Common positions regarding laying hen welfare
Battery Cages
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Battery cages guard the physical health of hens through disease control, food and water access, and separation from manure. The design of these cages prevents many natural behaviours and this restriction of movement is no longer an acceptable cost.
Enriched Cages
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There is a preference towards enriched housing systems since they better preserve the physical welfare benefits of battery cages while improving overall welfare through the access to important behavioural outlets.
Cage-free/Free-Run
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Caution is shown around standardizing Free-run/Cage-free as the sole alternative housing option due to the increased cost to physical wellbeing and increased risk of negative flock interactions.
Overall
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For any system, a decision on whether the associated rates of morbidity and mortality are an acceptable cost to behavioural freedoms must be weighed by the individual consumer.
Here is the official position statement of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and their linked references.
Below are a couple of standout excerpts:
“The CVMA acknowledges that it is a legitimate ethical position for individuals and organizations to lobby for and state their preference for hens to be housed in “cage-free” systems. However, from a scientific and veterinary perspective on animal welfare, the CVMA considers that enriched/furnished cage systems are compatible with the provision of good standards of health and welfare.”
- Canadian Veterinarians Medical Association position statement (source)
“The CVMA encourages further research and development on housing systems for laying hens that meet the welfare requirements of the birds, and on breeding strategies to reduce the risk of injurious behaviours”
- Canadian Veterinarians Medical Association position statement (source)