Poultry Lighting Welfare: Rest, Behavior, and Blindness Prevention

Lighting programs in poultry housing significantly affect welfare through effects on rest, activity, feeding behavior, eye health, and the ability to express natural circadian rhythms.

Key Facts

Broiler chickens kept under near-continuous light show disturbed sleep and reduced activity periods compromising welfare.
A minimum of 6 hours darkness per day is recommended to allow rest and reduce eye problems in broiler chickens.
Blue-enriched spectrum lighting has been shown to reduce fear responses and improve broiler welfare.
Laying hens respond to photoperiod for reproductive regulation; lighting programs controlling day length affect hormonal welfare.
Dim red lighting in catching operations reduces fear behavior during the stressful catching process.

Welfare Considerations

Lighting is a low-cost, high-impact welfare lever in poultry farming. Continuous or near-continuous bright lighting was historically used to maximize feeding time and growth rate, but research demonstrates significant welfare costs including disrupted sleep, increased fearfulness, and higher rates of leg problems. Evidence-based lighting programs providing appropriate dark periods, spectrum, and intensity improve welfare measurably and often without production loss. Lighting welfare represents an area where scientific evidence has translated relatively effectively into improved industry standards.

What You Can Do

Support poultry welfare standards that include minimum dark period requirements.
Advocate for lighting welfare standards to be included in all poultry assurance schemes.
Follow poultry welfare lighting research from Wageningen University and Bristol Veterinary School.
Choose chicken products from producers with documented evidence-based lighting programs.
Engage with poultry industry consultations on welfare standard development.