Providing natural light access to farmed chickens improves circadian rhythm regulation, behavioral welfare, and physical health across multiple indicators.
Natural light welfare for chickens encompasses both circadian health — the regulation of biological rhythms by natural light-dark cycles — and behavioral welfare through the light quality that allows chickens to fully express their visual capabilities. Chickens can see UV wavelengths that humans cannot, and this visual capacity is engaged by natural light in ways that artificial lighting cannot replicate. Circadian disruption from manipulated artificial light affects immunity, stress responses, and behavioral welfare over the production cycle. Free-range and welfare-certified systems that provide natural light access deliver these welfare benefits alongside other outdoor access advantages.