Farmed Chicken Lighting and Welfare

Lighting programmes in broiler and layer poultry houses profoundly affect bird welfare, affecting sleep, activity patterns, growth rate, and eye health. Evidence-based lighting is a key component of high welfare poultry production.

Key Facts

Near-continuous lighting was historically used in broiler houses to maximise feed intake and growth
Continuous light causes chronic sleep deprivation and is associated with increased leg problems and eye damage
Current UK regulations require a minimum dark period of 6 hours per day for broilers
Higher welfare standards require minimum 8 hours darkness with gradual dimming transitions
Blue-enriched white light improves visual acuity and reduces fearfulness in broiler chickens
Laying hens require appropriate light cycles to regulate reproduction and maintain circadian rhythms
Natural daylight access through pop-holes or windows provides spectral variety unavailable from artificial lighting
Dim-to-dark transitions allow birds to settle gradually rather than being suddenly plunged into darkness

Welfare Considerations

Light management affects fundamental physiological processes including sleep, circadian rhythm, and visual health. Broilers historically deprived of dark periods suffered chronic sleep deprivation comparable to extreme human sleep restriction experiments. The welfare significance of appropriate lighting is high and the technical cost of providing adequate dark periods is low. Lighting programmes that support natural circadian rhythms represent a minimum welfare requirement that should be non-negotiable in any credible welfare standard.

What You Can Do

Choose poultry products from farms with certified lighting welfare standards including adequate dark periods
Support welfare standards requiring minimum dark periods and gradual light transitions
Advocate for free-range systems where natural daylight provides appropriate spectral and temporal variation
Learn about lighting welfare when assessing poultry production systems