Lighting programs in poultry facilities directly affect bird welfare through circadian rhythm disruption or support. Evidence-based lighting management is a practical, low-cost welfare improvement.
Lighting is one of the most underappreciated welfare tools in poultry production. It costs almost nothing to provide appropriate dark periods and use appropriate light intensities, yet the welfare benefit for billions of birds is significant. Continuous bright light is a form of chronic sensory stress that disrupts natural behavior rhythms, promotes leg disorders, and prevents the rest that birds need. Implementing evidence-based lighting programs — appropriate dark periods, reduced intensity, spectral composition suited to avian vision — is a low-barrier welfare improvement that producers can make without major infrastructure investment. It is also one of the most clearly regulated welfare interventions available to legislators.