Modern fast-growing broiler breeds are associated with significant health and welfare problems. Slower-growing alternatives are available and increasingly demanded by welfare-conscious retailers.
The genetic selection that has doubled broiler growth rates in 50 years has created animals whose bodies literally cannot support their own growth. The suffering associated with leg disorders in fast-growing broilers — pain with every step, inability to reach food and water — is a fundamental welfare problem. Transitioning to slower-growing breeds is one of the most impactful welfare improvements possible in poultry.