Pasture species selection for free-range egg production systems: Implications for laying performance, egg quality,...

Free-range egg production systems require pasture management strategies that support hen welfare, egg quality, and environmental sustainability. This narrative review evaluates pasture species selection as a functional component of free-range laying systems, using a bibliographic database compiled and updated by the authors and complemented with targeted searches in scientific databases. The review integrates poultry-specific evidence with supporting information from pasture agronomy, animal behavior, egg-quality research, and soil science. Particular attention is given to temperate species relevant to humid temperate conditions, including Lolium perenne, Bromus valdivianus, Dactylis glomerata, Trifolium repens, Trifolium pratense, Medicago sativa, Plantago lanceolata, and Cichorium intybus. Current evidence indicates that pasture intake can improve yolk pigmentation, antioxidant transfer, and omega-3 fatty acid enrichment, although responses vary with botanical composition, pasture availability, season, genotype, and basal diet. Legumes and chicory appear most promising for nutritional contribution and egg-quality responses, whereas grasses are more relevant for persistence, regrowth, and soil cover. Pasture access also supports foraging and exploration, but welfare outcomes depend on vegetation cover, range design, genotype, weather, and substrate condition. From an environmental perspective, hens contribute to nutrient cycling through manure deposition, but uneven range use can create nutrient hotspots, soil compaction, pasture degradation, and risks of nutrient loss. Direct poultry-specific evidence remains limited for several species, especially B. valdivianus and D. glomerata, whose potential suitability is currently based mainly on agronomic inference. Overall, no single pasture species satisfies all productive, welfare, and soil-function objectives. Multi-species pastures that combine legumes, persistent grasses, and selected broadleaf species may offer the most balanced strategy, but long-term comparative studies are still needed under commercial free-range conditions.