Farm Animal Welfare

Environmental Enrichment for Broiler Chickens

Providing enrichment to broiler chickens can significantly improve welfare by encouraging natural behaviours that are suppressed in barren environments.

Key Facts

90% of broiler chickens globally are raised in intensive barren sheds
Provision of perches, pecking objects and raised platforms increases activity levels
Enriched environments reduce leg problems, which affect up to 30% of intensively reared broilers
Elevated resting areas encourage jumping and wing-flapping in young birds
Better Chicken Commitment requires enrichment provisions from signatory companies

Welfare Considerations

Broiler chickens in barren environments show low activity, high rates of leg disorders, and limited expression of natural behaviours like dust bathing, perching and foraging. Enrichment does not eliminate problems caused by fast-growing breeds but measurably improves welfare. The cost of basic enrichment is low relative to welfare gain. Consumer and retailer pressure drives adoption.

What You Can Do

Choose chicken certified to RSPCA Assured, Organic or Better Chicken Commitment standards
Contact your supermarket asking them to sign the Better Chicken Commitment
Reduce chicken consumption or choose higher-welfare products
Advocate for mandatory enrichment in broiler housing regulations
Support research into slower-growing breeds with better welfare outcomes