Broiler breeder chickens — the parents of meat chickens — face severe welfare compromise from chronic hunger and reproductive stress, representing one of the most neglected welfare problems in poultry production.
Broiler parent welfare is one of the most serious and least-discussed welfare problems in food production. The fundamental issue is genetic: birds bred for maximal growth rate develop health problems if allowed to eat freely as adults, requiring chronic feed restriction that causes suffering assessed by welfare scientists as severe and prolonged. This is not an edge case — it affects hundreds of millions of birds worldwide. The solution exists: transition to slower-growing broiler genetics eliminates the physiological conflict that makes feed restriction necessary. Several major companies have committed to slower-growing broiler transitions, though implementation is slow. Consumer awareness is the critical missing ingredient: few people who eat chicken know this welfare problem exists.