Litter quality in broiler houses is a critical determinant of footpad dermatitis, hock burns, and breast blisters, conditions that cause significant pain to millions of chickens and are largely preventable.
Footpad dermatitis is a welfare problem of enormous scale that is both measurable and preventable. Ulcerative lesions on the plantar surface of broiler feet cause pain with every step, reducing movement, feed access, and welfare across the production cycle. In severe cases, lesions are deep, infected, and visibly debilitating. Hock burns from sitting on wet litter add to the burden of lower limb pain. Breast blisters develop from prolonged contact between the keel and damp bedding. The underlying cause is consistently poor litter management: inadequate ventilation, overcrowding, and water system leaks all contribute to wet conditions that cannot be compensated by bedding type alone. Litter monitoring programs, slaughter line scoring, and feedback to farms have driven improvements in countries where incentives or penalties are linked to FPD scores. Where such incentives are absent, FPD rates remain high.