Combination cage-free hen housing, solution or compromise?

Combi, or combination, -style housing can offer the best of both worlds to producers uncertain about the long-term appeal of cage-free eggs. However, the systems run the risk of eventual rejection by North American welfare certifying bodies or consumers. As the U.S. egg industry weighs housing changes spurred by the rapid shift to cage freee production, Egg Industry is publishing a series of articles discussing the pros and cons of three types of cage-free housing systems: aviaries, floor systems and combination, or combi, systems. This article focuses on combi systems. Combi systems, also called convertible systems, typically provide aspects of both an enriched cage and an aviary housing system. The systems are multi-tiered with doors that can be opened, allowing birds to roam about like in an aviary system, or closed, effectively making it an enriched cage. Closed, the stocking density is comparable to conventional cages. Combis also provide egg and manure belts underneath housing tiers, nest areas for the hens to lay, and feeding and watering systems.