Dust bathing is a highly motivated maintenance behaviour in poultry that cannot be suppressed without significant welfare cost, yet most commercial systems fail to provide adequate substrate.
The motivation to dust bathe is so strong in poultry that hens will perform the behaviour on solid floors without substrate, going through all the movements of dust bathing on a hard surface. This vacuum activity demonstrates that the drive cannot simply be suppressed; it will find expression even without appropriate outlets. The frustration of being unable to perform this behaviour properly, combined with the inability to maintain feathers adequately, contributes to feather pecking and other welfare indicators in bare systems. Providing appropriate substrate is one of the most direct and evidence-based welfare improvements available in poultry production.