# Effectual Environmental Enrichments for Commercial Broiler Chickens

## TL;DR

Changing lighting and adding huts in chicken houses improves bird health and growth by encouraging movement and rest.

## Contribution

This study introduces dual lighting intensities and enrichment huts to enhance broiler chicken welfare and performance.

## Key findings

- Broiler chickens showed better leg, liver, and eye health with midday rest in enriched areas.
- Stress levels were lower in birds exposed to lighting-enrichment compared to conventional setups.
- Growth performance improved with higher daily weight gain and better feed conversion ratios.

## Abstract

Voluntary movement may improve animal welfare and promote sustainable growth. After providing lower-light-intensity areas with dual lighting intensities and enrichment huts in commercial broiler houses, broiler chickens exhibited better welfare indicators in their legs, livers, and eyes, suggesting that midday resting in these areas improved the welfare and health of the animals. In addition, the mental status of lighting-enrichment-treated birds indicated lower stress susceptibility compared to birds reared in conventional lighting program houses. The growth performance, measured by the daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio, was significantly better than with traditional lighting programs.

Environmental enrichment, such as lighting, has affected the behaviors, welfare, and production of commercial broiler chickens. However, most studies have focused on constant light intensities to determine their effect on welfare and performance. Research indicates that the significant contrast of light intensities in broiler houses promotes pronounced daily patterns of behavior and activity, impacting broiler chicken health. Birds exhibited preference behaviors in bright-intensity light during active behaviors, such as eating and drinking, but in darker areas when resting. Light intensity preferences may be associated with the voluntary instinctive movement of birds by providing choices for birds. Increasing broiler chickens’ movement may boost welfare, especially leg health, which is a leading cause of culling and late mortality in commercial production. In this review, we discuss the progress and results of practical environmental enrichments, enrichment lighting, and huts in commercial broiler houses. We briefly address interpretations of improved welfare and performance and suggest directions for future research that may interest poultry scientists.