On-farm mortality in broiler chicken production is a key welfare indicator that reveals the health and management quality of a flock. Understanding what normal and acceptable mortality rates indicate helps consumers and advocates assess welfare claims.
On-farm mortality rates reflect the cumulative burden of welfare problems in a flock. High mortality indicates that a significant proportion of animals died from preventable causes — disease, injury, metabolic failure — before reaching the slaughter age they were bred for. Each bird that dies on farm experienced the welfare failure that caused its death, plus potentially days of suffering before death. Transparency about mortality rates is currently limited — most producers do not publish this data. Certification schemes that use mortality thresholds as welfare criteria and require reporting create accountability. Consumer and retail demand for mortality data disclosure would be a meaningful welfare improvement.