For egg farmers Nick and Cindy Huitema, the poultry industry’s move away from conventional cages led to a major farm decision nearly a decade ago.
The Dunnville area farmers chose an enriched colony housing system when they decided to construct a new barn in 2017, putting them ahead of a nationwide transition that will see conventional cages phased out of Canadian egg production.
HALDIMAND—The nesting area provides hens with a dark, secluded, and designated space to lay their eggs, helping encourage nest use and reduce eggs laid outside the nest. 
HALDIMAND—Multi-tier system Tecno Plus Enriched System shows the stacked configuration and central walkway, allowing easier access for inspection and management. 
HALDIMAND—Transverse perches provide birds with a natural place to rest and roost, while nipple drinkers offer easy access to water. Integrated lighting improves visibility, encourages even bird distribution, and supports programmed day-and-night cycles. 
HALDIMAND—Perforated scratch pads allow hens to express natural scratching and pecking behaviours. The pads are strategically positioned beneath the lighting to encourage and optimize scratch-pad use. —Submitted photos.
Under Canada’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pullets and Laying Hens, all hens must be housed in enriched cage or non-cage systems to meet the code’s requirements by July 1, 2036. The transition is intended to provide hens with more space and opportunities for natural behaviours including nesting, perching, and foraging.
For the Huitemas, enriched housing offered a balance between providing those features and maintaining a system that worked for their family and farm.
“We didn’t want to work in a barn where the birds were all running free,” Cindy said.
She said they were attracted to features that accommodate the hens’ natural behaviours, including perches, curtained nesting areas, and scratching areas.
Nick said the additional space and features have worked well since their new barn was completed in May 2018.
“It’s a really nice place to work. It’s nice and clean,” he said. “And the hens get used to you. And production’s really good, too.”
Harold Meadows, a sales representative with Clark Ag Systems who travels across Ontario selling poultry equipment, said enriched systems are currently the company’s most requested option, followed by aviary systems.
An enriched system provides hens with private nesting areas, perches, and scratching areas while maintaining access to feed and water. The birds have more room to move than in conventional cages, although they do not have access to the entire barn.
Free-run systems house hens in groups, who live together on the barn floor with access to nesting boxes and potentially outdoor access when weather permits. Meadows noted those outdoor areas must be secured against predators.
Meanwhile, aviary systems provide access to different levels throughout the barn.
The different systems come with trade-offs for farmers, including construction costs, labour requirements, and the amount of space needed.
“Understandably, it costs you more to have a system that allows the birds to go outside because you’re paying for those outside structures as well,” Meadows said.
Providing more room inside the barn can also increase equipment and building costs.
The Huitemas experienced the financial side of that transition firsthand.
“It’s a significant cost,” said Nick of their new barn and housing system. “We spread it over a lot of years.”
He said they were fortunate to make the investment when they did, before construction costs climbed following the pandemic.
“I’m glad we did it when we did because it’s a whole lot more money now,” he said.
Their existing farm infrastructure also helped make enriched housing a good fit, with the new barn constructed on an existing foundation.
The transition is particularly significant because changing housing systems can require more than simply replacing equipment. The national code notes that providing additional space means existing barns may accommodate fewer hens, potentially requiring renovations or new construction to maintain production levels.
For the Huitemas, rebuilding was also tied to succession planning.
Cindy said two of their children were in post-secondary school at the time with a plan to return to the family farm. Their daughter Charlotte now works with the eggs, while their son John farms alongside Nick.
The farm collects approximately 16,000 eggs each day. Each year, its flock is changed during the third week of May, when the previous hens leave, the barn is thoroughly washed and disinfected, and new pullets arrive.
Meadows said the shift between housing systems is primarily about how hens live and move, rather than producing a fundamentally different egg. For farmers preparing for the 2036 deadline, the choice ultimately comes down to finding a housing system that meets the new requirements while fitting the individual operation.
Eight years after their new barn opened, the Huitemas remain comfortable with the decision they made.
Nick said, “We really like the type of housing that we have.”
