Litter quality in broiler production directly affects the health and welfare of billions of chickens through its impact on footpad dermatitis, hock burns, breast blisters and respiratory health.
Litter quality is a welfare multiplier in broiler production — poor litter creates a cascade of painful conditions affecting the birds that contact it for their entire lives. Wet litter generates ammonia that burns eyes and airways and provides the moist conditions in which footpad dermatitis bacteria thrive. Footpad lesions range from mild discoloration to deep, painful ulcers that impair mobility and feeding behavior. Hock burns from prolonged contact with wet litter affect gait and cause chronic pain. These conditions are not inevitable — they are driven by management decisions about stocking density, ventilation, watering system maintenance and litter type that producers control. Regulatory footpad dermatitis scoring programs that link monitoring data to welfare penalties have proven effective at driving improvement in European systems.