Footpad dermatitis is one of the most prevalent welfare problems in poultry production and is directly caused by wet or poorly managed litter. Solutions exist and are increasingly required by welfare standards.
Footpad dermatitis provides a clear example of how welfare problems in intensive production are preventable but require consistent management commitment. Wet litter causes chemical burns to the skin of birds that spend their lives in contact with the floor. The pain is chronic and affects movement, resting behaviour, and resource access. Slaughterhouse scoring systems create direct feedback loops between farm welfare failure and commercial consequences — a model that has demonstrably improved outcomes in Denmark and other countries with mandatory monitoring.