Lighting management in poultry farming profoundly affects bird health, behavior, and welfare. Evidence-based lighting practices can prevent significant suffering in commercial chicken and turkey operations.
Lighting is a powerful but often overlooked lever in poultry welfare management. Continuous illumination, historically used to maximize broiler growth by extending feeding time, disrupts the circadian biology that coordinates immune function, bone development, and metabolic health. Research demonstrates that broilers receiving minimum daily dark periods have better leg health, lower cardiac mortality, and reduced ascites (fluid accumulation) compared to those under continuous light. For laying hens, lighting programs that mimic natural photoperiod changes and include appropriate dark periods reduce fear responses and improve behavioral normalcy. Lighting intensity affects vision-dependent behaviors — brighter conditions in enriched environments allow better use of enrichment resources. Lighting color influences social behavior, with some wavelengths reducing feather pecking aggression. Regulatory requirements for minimum dark periods represent one of the more straightforward welfare improvements with demonstrable health benefits.