Broiler breeders are the parent birds that produce the eggs which hatch commercial broiler chickens. They are genetically identical to their offspring but face a unique and severe welfare problem: chronic hunger imposed to prevent the obesity and health problems that would kill them if fed ad libitum.
Broiler breeders represent perhaps the most ethically clear-cut welfare problem in the food system: a deliberate, systematic choice to keep animals in a state of chronic hunger to compensate for genetics that would otherwise kill them. The animals are caught in an impossible position: their genetic programming drives intense food motivation, but feeding to satiety causes health collapse. This dilemma was created by selective breeding decisions made for commercial efficiency, without welfare consideration. The solution is to change the genetics — breeding slower-growing, more robust broiler lines whose breeders can be fed at or near satiation. The Better Chicken Commitment and equivalent standards drive demand for these lines. Until genetics change across the industry, billions of breeder birds will live in chronic hunger.