Chicken Lighting Systems and Layer Welfare

How lighting management in laying hen facilities affects welfare and what evidence-based lighting approaches improve hen wellbeing.

Key Facts

Laying hens have tetrachromatic vision including UV perception, making lighting quality a genuine welfare issue
Dim, monotonous lighting in commercial layer houses suppresses activity and reduces the ability to assess social cues
Lighting programmes that mimic natural photoperiod cycles improve welfare indicators in laying hens
LED systems can provide fuller-spectrum lighting including UV components beneficial to bird welfare
Enriched cage systems often have inadequate lighting that prevents hens from using enrichment features effectively

Welfare Considerations

Lighting quality in commercial poultry facilities is a welfare variable that receives less attention than housing system type, yet has significant effects on hen behaviour and wellbeing. Hens with UV-inclusive, better-quality lighting show more natural behaviour, better social recognition, and higher activity levels. Dim, monotonous conventional lighting actively suppresses behaviour and may impair social navigation in flocks where recognising familiar individuals matters for welfare. As LED technology has improved and costs have fallen, providing better-quality lighting is increasingly cost-effective. Welfare-conscious lighting management — appropriate intensity, duration, spectrum, and daily variation — is a low-cost, high-impact improvement.

What You Can Do

Support egg producers and certification schemes that specify lighting quality requirements beyond minimum intensity
Advocate for lighting standards to be included in laying hen welfare regulations
Choose free-range or barn-reared eggs from certified schemes that specify adequate natural light access
Follow research on avian lighting and welfare from poultry science institutions
Engage with egg producers and retailers about the lighting provisions in their supply chains