Providing chickens with enrichment objects and opportunities for natural behaviors improves welfare and reduces harmful behaviors in commercial flocks.
Chickens in barren commercial housing cannot express natural exploratory, dustbathing, and social behaviors, leading to redirected behaviors including feather pecking that cause injury and death. Simple, inexpensive enrichment items significantly reduce harmful behaviors while improving hen welfare. The relationship between enrichment, behavior, and injury reduction demonstrates that welfare improvement serves commercial interests.