Adding enrichment objects to broiler chicken houses reduces inactivity and mortality-associated lameness, but the type, placement and management of enrichment determines whether it genuinely improves welfare.
Broiler enrichment research reveals both the potential and limitations of environmental modification in commercial chicken production. Elevated platforms genuinely change behaviour — chickens use them, remain more active and show reduced lying time associated with lameness. But enrichment cannot substitute for addressing the underlying drivers of poor broiler welfare including extreme growth rate genetics and high stocking density. The most welfare-positive broiler systems combine reduced-growth breeds, lower stocking density and environmental enrichment as complementary rather than alternative interventions. For consumers, the presence of enrichment in a certification scheme is a positive indicator but meaningful only when combined with breed and density standards.