The shift from conventional fast-growing broiler breeds to slower-growing breeds is one of the most significant welfare interventions available in chicken production.
Broiler chicken welfare is heavily determined by genetics: the breeds selected for extreme growth rate in conventional production have bodies that their physiology struggles to support. Skeletal disease, cardiovascular failure, and contact dermatitis from spending much of their lives unable to stand and move normally affect high proportions of fast-growing birds. Slower-growing breeds take longer to reach slaughter weight — increasing production costs — but demonstrate dramatically better welfare outcomes: lower lameness, better mobility, more natural behaviour, and lower mortality. Consumer willingness to pay a modest premium for higher-welfare chicken, combined with supply chain commitments from major retailers, is shifting market incentives toward slower-growing breeds in some markets. Expanding this shift is one of the highest-impact welfare interventions available in broiler production.