Lighting management in broiler chicken houses significantly affects bird welfare by influencing sleep, behavior, leg health, and overall physiological stress levels.
Broiler chickens in systems designed purely to maximize growth experience lighting regimes that deprive them of adequate sleep and rest. Near-continuous artificial lighting was historically used to keep birds feeding and growing, but this practice causes measurable welfare harm through sleep deprivation and disrupted circadian rhythms. Evidence-based lighting programs providing adequate darkness and natural light cycles improve welfare substantially with minimal production impact.