Providing environmental enrichment to broiler chickens improves welfare by enabling expression of natural behaviours including dustbathing, perching, and exploration.
Broiler chickens in barren environments are unable to express fundamental species-appropriate behaviours including dustbathing, foraging, and social play. Provision of straw bales, perches, and pecking objects significantly increases voluntary physical activity, improving leg health and reducing welfare-compromising lameness. Enriched birds also show lower fear responses and reduced stress indicators. The welfare benefit of enrichment is well-established and cost-effective at scale.