More chickens are raised for meat each year than any other farmed animal. The welfare implications of intensive broiler housing systems affect billions of individuals annually.
Intensive broiler production creates suffering at an enormous scale. The combination of extreme growth rates, high stocking densities, and barren environments means billions of birds experience chronic pain, frustration, and deprivation every year. Lameness — affecting up to a third of birds — is caused by the body growing faster than the skeleton can support, and lame birds spend more time sitting in ammonia-soaked litter, developing painful hock burns. Fast growth also causes cardiovascular and respiratory problems. The industry-standard response has been genetic selection for slightly slower growth (e.g., Ross 308 to RSPCA-certified breeds), combined with enriched housing. Consumer pressure through corporate campaigns (Better Chicken Commitment) has driven significant improvements at major food companies. The scale of this welfare issue means even modest per-bird improvements translate to enormous reductions in aggregate suffering.