Broiler breeder parent birds must be feed-restricted to prevent obesity that would impair reproduction. This creates a severe welfare conflict: permanent chronic hunger in birds kept to breed the next generation.
Broiler breeder welfare represents perhaps the starkest welfare paradox in modern animal agriculture. These birds are genetically identical to the fast-growing broilers destined for meat — they have the same drives to eat that, if satisfied, would produce the rapid weight gain that ruins their health and reproductivity. The solution chosen by the industry is to chronically underfeed them — restricting access to feed to 30-70% of their ad libitum intake throughout their productive lives. The result is birds in a state of permanent, intense hunger that cannot be satisfied. Welfare indicators are unambiguous: broiler breeders are more active, aggressive, and show more oral stereotypies than unrestricted birds — all signs of chronic food frustration. Qualitative restriction using low-energy diets is a partial solution. Long-term, breeding away from extreme growth genetics would eliminate the root cause.