Providing environmental enrichment to broiler chickens in commercial production improves welfare by enabling natural behaviours including foraging, dustbathing, and perching, with measurable health benefits.
Environmental enrichment for broiler chickens addresses the fundamental problem of housing highly motivated animals in barren environments where normal behaviour cannot be expressed. Broilers that can interact with straw, pecking objects, and elevated platforms show higher activity, lower rates of contact dermatitis, and better leg health than those in barren houses. Enrichment also reduces the harmful redirected behaviours that emerge from behavioural frustration including feather pecking. The Better Chicken Commitment, adopted by many UK retailers, mandates enrichment as part of a package of welfare improvements.