Broiler parent (breeder) birds suffer a profound welfare conflict: selected for rapid weight gain, they must be severely feed-restricted during rearing to prevent production-limiting obesity.
Broiler parent welfare represents one of the starkest animal welfare contradictions in agriculture: the breeding birds whose genetics drive the broiler industry are routinely subjected to chronic, severe food restriction that causes persistent hunger. The duration of this suffering spans the entire production period. Studies using preference tests and motivation assays confirm that food-restricted broiler parents experience genuine hunger as a persistent aversive state. High-fibre feeding strategies can partially alleviate this by providing bulk without excessive calories, but the fundamental conflict between fast-growth genetics and breeding bird welfare remains. Consumer demand for standard fast-growing broiler chicken creates the commercial pressure sustaining this welfare compromise.