On-Farm Broiler Mortality and Welfare

Daily mortality in commercial broiler flocks indicates welfare problems and represents individual suffering at scale.

Key Facts

Typical commercial broiler mortality rates are 3-5% over the growing period
Mortality rises sharply in the final week of production as birds approach maximum weight
Ascites, sudden death syndrome, and lameness are leading causes of broiler mortality
Birds that die slowly on farm suffer significantly before death
Mortality recording and post-mortem examination provides welfare monitoring data

Welfare Considerations

Broiler mortality is a welfare indicator that is too often treated purely as a production metric. Each dead bird represents an animal that suffered before dying — from metabolic disease, respiratory compromise, or inability to access feed and water due to lameness. The scale of mortality at 3-5% of billions of birds annually represents millions of individual welfare harms. Mortality monitoring with post-mortem analysis identifies welfare problems early enough for management intervention.

What You Can Do

Support welfare standards requiring mortality recording and post-mortem analysis in broiler production
Learn about broiler mortality causes and their welfare implications
Advocate for mandatory mortality reporting as a welfare monitoring tool
Choose chicken from producers with documented mortality monitoring programs
Understand that cheap chicken production accepts high welfare cost mortality as normal