US chicken companies pioneered restricting sleep to keep birds eating around the clock.
A new study (Li et al., 2026) recommends giving chickens just 2 hours of darkness nightly to maximize the time they spend eating. The study and photo are Chinese.
We know chickens have far better hapiness with 7–8 hours of darkness to sleep.
But they eat more when they are sleep restricted.
If I want an “ethical” chicken, I can buy one. A five pound bird cost $40. Are you rich? lol Or you have your own farm.
I’m far from rich. I just live in a country where all chicken purchased from a store get enough sleep by law. And chicken from friends and family run around the yard and sleep/wake with the sun.