Farm animals have evolved behavioral repertoires that create strong motivations to perform specific behaviors, with denial causing frustration and poor welfare.
Behavioral needs are not preferences but drives that create negative affective states when denied. A hen unable to access a nest box before laying becomes increasingly distressed; a sow without nesting material before farrowing shows frustration behaviors comparable to restraint stress. Meeting behavioral needs requires understanding the specific behaviors and their motivational basis, not simply providing space.