The genetics of broiler chickens have been profoundly shaped by selection for rapid growth, creating welfare problems that are inherent to the breed rather than the management system. Slow-growing breeds represent a fundamental welfare improvement over standard commercial strains.
The welfare crisis in broiler chicken production is fundamentally a genetics problem. Selecting relentlessly for growth rate has created birds whose bodies develop so rapidly that their legs, hearts, and immune systems cannot keep pace. Standard commercial broilers spend significant portions of their short lives unable to walk normally, sitting on litter that causes painful hock burns and footpad dermatitis, and struggling to reach food and water. This is not a management failure that better husbandry can fully correct — it is an inherent consequence of the genetics selected for maximal growth. Transitioning to slower-growing breeds addresses the root cause rather than managing the symptoms, and the evidence from early BCC adopters shows that the welfare improvement is substantial and the cost increase modest.