Broiler chickens have behavioral needs that intensive housing systems largely fail to meet. Environmental enrichment can improve welfare outcomes even within commercial production constraints.
The behavioral needs of broiler chickens are often overlooked because the birds spend so much of their time resting — a fact that itself reflects a welfare problem rather than contentment. Modern fast-growing broiler breeds have been selected for growth rates that their skeletal and cardiovascular systems cannot fully support, resulting in chronic lameness, fatigue, and reduced motivation to move. Enrichment in this context must be understood against this baseline: a perch that a lame bird cannot reach, or a range that a heavy, slow-growing bird is too uncomfortable to use, provides theoretical opportunity without real welfare benefit. The most impactful welfare interventions in broiler housing address the underlying problem — breed selection — while also providing the best possible environment for the birds that are produced. Good litter quality for dust bathing, appropriate light regimes promoting natural activity patterns, and brassica vegetation for pecking and curiosity all provide genuine welfare uplift within current commercial constraints.