Broiler Chicken Welfare Enrichment in Commercial Housing

Providing environmental enrichment for broiler chickens in commercial housing is a low-cost, high-impact welfare improvement that increases natural behaviour expression while showing neutral or positive effects on production performance.

Key Facts

Broiler enrichment items including pecking objects, perches, bales, and platforms are now required in some higher welfare schemes
Perches reduce foot pad dermatitis in commercial broilers by improving leg strength and encouraging movement
Overhead objects and visual barriers reduce social competition and aggression in fast-growing broilers
Enrichment costs are typically less than 0.5% of production costs but are frequently omitted in conventional systems
Consumer-facing welfare schemes including RSPCA Assured and Better Chicken Commitment require enriched environments for compliance

Welfare Considerations

Broiler enrichment is one of the most cost-effective welfare improvements available in commercial poultry — the evidence base is strong, implementation costs are low, and some enrichment items show positive production effects through reduced leg problems and lower mortality. The primary barrier is producer inertia and lack of certification requirement. Corporate commitments that include enrichment requirements are the most effective current driver of adoption at scale.

What You Can Do

Choose chicken products from Better Chicken Commitment signatories or RSPCA Assured farms that require enrichment
Engage food companies and supermarkets to strengthen their broiler welfare commitments to include enrichment requirements
Support research into cost-effective enrichment designs for different commercial broiler housing systems
Advocate for enrichment requirements to be included in all broiler welfare legislation as a minimum standard