Broiler parent (breeder) birds face one of the most severe welfare compromises in poultry farming — chronic hunger imposed deliberately to prevent the obesity and organ failure that their genetics would otherwise cause.
Feed restriction in broiler breeders causes chronic hunger — a sustained and aversive motivational state. Birds on restricted feeding spend more time performing vacuum foraging behaviour, are more aggressive at feeders, and show physiological indicators of stress. The fundamental cause is the genetics selected exclusively for rapid growth in offspring, creating a conflict between the welfare of the parent bird and the commercial traits selected in their progeny. This represents a systemic welfare problem embedded in the breeding pyramid of commercial poultry. The long-term solution is to change breeding goals to include parent bird welfare, not to continue managing the consequences of welfare-incompatible genetics.