Standard commercial broiler breeds grow so rapidly that their bodies cannot support them. Switching to slower-growing genetics is one of the most impactful welfare improvements available in poultry farming.
The broiler welfare crisis is one of the most clear-cut problems in contemporary animal agriculture: genetics selected for maximum growth rate have produced birds whose bodies cannot support them through a full, even very short, life without significant suffering. Lameness, cardiovascular failure, and the chronic pain of carrying disproportionate weight on underdeveloped skeletal structures are not occasional welfare problems — they are designed-in consequences of the genetics used in standard commercial production. The welfare science is unambiguous: slower-growing breeds in appropriate housing conditions have dramatically better welfare outcomes. The Better Chicken Commitment provides a practical, auditable framework for transitioning supply chains to these breeds, and its adoption by major retailers and food service companies creates market pull for change.