Slow-Growing Chicken Breeds: What the Better Chicken Commitment Means for Welfare

The Better Chicken Commitment is a corporate pledge to transition to slower-growing broiler breeds by 2026, addressing some of the most serious welfare problems in commercial chicken production — but progress has been slower than promised.

Key Facts

Modern fast-growing broiler breeds reach slaughter weight (2.5 kg) in 33-35 days, while slower-growing breeds take 56+ days
Fast-growing breeds have been associated with high rates of contact dermatitis, gait disorders, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain from their own body weight
Slower-growing breeds show significantly better welfare outcomes including better locomotion, more time active, and lower mortality rates in multiple studies
The Better Chicken Commitment, signed by hundreds of companies globally, commits signatories to using approved slower-growing breeds by 2026 alongside other welfare improvements
As of 2024-2025, the majority of signatories had not met the breed requirement, citing cost and supply chain challenges
The cost of producing slow-growing chicken is approximately 10-25% higher than fast-growing equivalents, creating genuine economic barriers to transition
Consumer willingness to pay a modest premium for higher-welfare chicken is demonstrated in market research but has not yet translated to sufficient demand to drive industry transformation

Welfare Considerations

The Better Chicken Commitment represents the largest coordinated corporate animal welfare commitment ever made, covering the lives of billions of chickens annually if fully implemented. The failure of most signatories to meet their 2026 breed commitments is a significant setback for animal welfare that should be understood as a systemic failure of voluntary corporate commitments without enforcement mechanisms. The welfare improvements from transitioning to slower-growing breeds are large and well-documented. The question is not whether the changes are justified — they clearly are — but whether the pressure needed to make companies honour their commitments can be maintained and amplified.

What You Can Do

Check whether your favourite food companies have signed the Better Chicken Commitment and whether they are on track to meet it
Engage with companies that have signed but are lagging on implementation by emailing their customer service teams
Support organisations tracking BCC compliance, including Open Philanthropy-funded monitoring projects
Choose chicken from producers already using slower-growing breeds or certified under higher-welfare schemes
Reduce chicken consumption and shift remaining purchases toward demonstrably higher-welfare products
Share information about the BCC and its implementation status to raise public awareness
Support policy campaigns to make broiler welfare standards mandatory rather than relying on voluntary commitments