Lighting programs in broiler chicken housing significantly affect welfare. Understanding how light duration and quality impacts behavior and health informs better standards.
Lighting conditions in conventional broiler farming cause chronic welfare problems. Near-continuous light suppresses natural rest-activity cycles, causing sleep deprivation and associated metabolic disruption. The combination of continuous light, selective breeding for rapid growth, and high stocking densities creates birds who are chronically uncomfortable and unable to express natural behaviors. Even small improvements in lighting programs produce measurable welfare benefits in terms of activity patterns, reduced fearfulness, and better overall health outcomes. Lighting is one of the lower-cost interventions available to producers for improving broiler welfare.