Lighting programs profoundly affect laying hen behavior, health, and welfare. Evidence-based lighting management improves welfare while maintaining production efficiency.
Lighting management represents an underappreciated welfare lever in laying hen production. Early intensive systems used nearly continuous lighting to suppress melatonin and maximize egg production, causing disrupted sleep, exhaustion, and chronic stress in hens. Modern welfare science demonstrates that hens require at minimum 6-8 hours of darkness for adequate sleep and circadian health. Light intensity interacts with fearfulness and activity: very low light intensity reduces measured fearfulness (hens cannot see threats as clearly) but also suppresses feeding, social interaction, and exercise — a welfare trade-off that favors moderate illumination allowing natural behavior without excessive predator vigilance. Natural light through windows or skylights provides a spectrum and variation that significantly improves hen welfare compared to constant artificial lighting. Progressive dimming to simulate dawn and dusk reduces startle responses and improves flock calmness.