Light management in poultry production has profound effects on bird welfare and behavior. Evidence-based lighting protocols improve welfare with minimal production cost.
Poultry lighting is a welfare parameter that is controllable at low cost but is frequently managed for production rather than welfare outcomes. Near-continuous lighting in broiler houses — standard practice for decades because it maximizes time at feed — prevents the normal rest and sleep cycles that birds need for neurological health. Regulatory requirements for minimum dark periods represent a minimum welfare floor, not an optimal standard. Research shows that appropriate lighting management — adequate dark periods, appropriate spectrum, dimming programs that mimic dawn and dusk — improves behavioral welfare, reduces fearfulness and aggression, and has minimal impact on production targets. LED technology now allows cost-effective implementation of welfare-optimized lighting programs. The direction of evidence consistently supports that lighting management for welfare is achievable without meaningful production compromise.