Farmed Animal Welfare

Broiler Lighting Welfare: Light Cycles and Bird Wellbeing

Lighting programs in broiler chicken houses profoundly affect sleep, activity, immune function, and leg health, making light cycle management a key welfare lever.

Key Facts

Conventional broiler lighting provides 23 hours of light to maximize feeding and growth
Continuous bright light causes chronic sleep deprivation and stress in chickens
At least 6 hours of darkness per day is now recommended by major welfare standards
Natural light exposure improves bone development and reduces leg disorder incidence
Higher-welfare light cycles align with chickens natural diurnal rhythms

Welfare Considerations

Conventional intensive lighting regimes prioritize growth speed at the expense of basic sleep needs and physiological health. Research consistently shows that providing adequate darkness periods improves bone strength, reduces mortality, and enhances immune function in broilers. Reforming lighting standards is a relatively low-cost intervention with significant welfare benefits.

What You Can Do

Choose chicken certified by standards requiring minimum dark periods (e.g., Better Chicken Commitment)
Advocate with food companies to adopt lighting standards that include adequate darkness periods
Support research into optimal light spectra and intensities for broiler welfare