Poultry Heat Stress Welfare and Climate Challenges

Heat stress in poultry causes significant welfare harm and production losses, and is becoming more severe as climate change increases temperature extremes.

Key Facts

Poultry are highly susceptible to heat stress because they lack sweat glands and can only thermoregulate through panting and wing-spreading.
Upper critical temperatures for broilers are approximately 32 degrees Celsius; welfare and production deteriorate rapidly above this.
Heat stress causes panting, reduced feed intake, weight loss, reduced egg production, compromised immunity, and death.
Mortality events from acute heat stress can kill thousands of birds rapidly when ventilation systems fail.
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of heat stress events for poultry.
Cooling strategies include tunnel ventilation, evaporative cooling, reduced stocking density, and water provision.
High-welfare breeds selected for slower growth tolerate heat better than fast-growing commercial broiler strains.
Emergency protocols for power outages and ventilation failures are critical for preventing mass mortality welfare events.

Welfare Considerations

Poultry heat stress is a welfare crisis that is worsening as climate change intensifies summer temperatures. Modern fast-growing broiler breeds are particularly vulnerable because their accelerated metabolism generates more body heat, compounding thermal stress from the environment. Conventional high-density housing with inadequate ventilation creates conditions where catastrophic mortality events are predictable rather than exceptional. Addressing poultry heat stress welfare requires investment in better housing design, lower stocking densities, transition to more heat-tolerant breeds, and emergency protocols that protect birds during ventilation failures. Climate adaptation in poultry production is not optional — it is a welfare imperative.

What You Can Do

Support higher-welfare broiler standards that include ventilation requirements and stocking density limits.
Advocate for emergency planning requirements for poultry farms to prevent ventilation-failure mortality events.
Choose chicken products from slower-growing breeds that are more thermally robust.
Encourage poultry producers to invest in climate adaptation infrastructure as a welfare priority.
Support research into heat-tolerant poultry breeds and housing designs that reduce heat stress risk.