Environmental enrichment for broiler chickens — providing perches, pecking substrates, and foraging opportunities — improves activity levels, reduces leg problems, and supports positive welfare experiences.
Broiler enrichment research has consistently demonstrated that chickens in barren environments are not simply resting — they are behaviorally suppressed by conditions that do not meet their needs. Given appropriate environments, broilers walk more, use perches, engage in dust bathing, and show exploratory behavior. These positive behaviors are accompanied by measurable improvements in physical health, particularly leg strength from increased movement. The barrier to enrichment adoption is primarily economic — perches and substrates add cost and management complexity. However, the combination of consumer certification requirements and regulatory mandates is driving gradual adoption of enrichment standards across the industry.