Environmental enrichment for broiler chickens can significantly improve welfare outcomes by allowing birds to express natural behaviours throughout the grow-out period.
Broiler housing enrichment addresses some of the welfare deficits of intensive production by providing opportunities for natural behaviour including perching, exploring, and dust-bathing. Research consistently shows that even modest enrichment interventions can meaningfully improve welfare indicators such as activity levels, leg health, and fear responses. More extensive enrichment through outdoor access, winter gardens, and complex indoor environments delivers larger welfare gains but requires greater investment. The most impactful improvements combine enrichment with better genetics and lower stocking densities as part of comprehensive welfare reform. Consumer demand for higher-welfare chicken products creates the market signal needed to drive enrichment investment.