Floor litter quality is one of the most important determinants of broiler welfare, with wet, compacted litter causing footpad dermatitis, hock burns and breast blisters that affect a majority of birds in poorly managed flocks.
Footpad dermatitis causes chronic pain that affects bird mobility, feed intake and time budget. Birds with severe lesions walk less, access feeders and drinkers less frequently and show signs of pain on movement. Breast blisters can become infected, causing localised chronic inflammation. Ammonia from poorly managed litter causes ocular and respiratory irritation. The scale of the problem — affecting hundreds of millions of birds globally — makes litter management one of the highest-impact welfare interventions available to the broiler industry. Mandatory monitoring linked to production consequences, as implemented in Scandinavia, has demonstrated that high welfare and viable commercial production are compatible.