Modern fast-growing broiler breeds grow so quickly that skeletal, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems cannot keep pace, causing endemic health problems. Slower-growing breeds offer a welfare alternative.
Broiler breed selection is one of the most powerful single variables affecting chicken welfare at scale. The relentless selection for rapid growth in standard commercial breeds has produced birds whose musculoskeletal systems, cardiovascular capacity, and metabolic regulation cannot keep pace with their growth rate. This causes endemic lameness, metabolic disease, and chronic pain affecting hundreds of millions of birds globally every year. Slow-growth breeds — selected for balanced growth rates with adequate cardiovascular and skeletal development — show dramatically lower rates of all major broiler welfare problems. They also show higher activity levels, more natural behavior, and lower mortality. The welfare premium comes at a cost: slower-growing birds are less feed-efficient and require more time, increasing production cost. The Better Chicken Commitment represents a major industry commitment to transitioning from fast-growth breeds, now signed by hundreds of food companies.