Broiler breeder chickens — the parent birds that produce the eggs hatching into meat chickens — face some of the worst welfare conditions in poultry farming, including chronic hunger as a routine management practice.
Broiler breeder welfare represents a serious and underappreciated welfare problem within the chicken industry. The business model for broiler production requires parent birds that are genetically identical to their offspring but must not themselves grow as fast — achieved by restricting their feed. This creates a state of perpetual hunger throughout the reproductive life of the bird. Research by Ian Duncan, Jeff Rushen, and Ian Nicol has demonstrated the severity of this hunger using preference tests and behavioural indicators. Birds that are chronically hungry show increased aggression, stereotypic pecking at empty feeders, and reduced immune function. The welfare case for shifting to breeds that do not require severe feed restriction is clear and the industry has the technical capacity to make this transition.