Broiler Chicken Welfare: The Five Domains Assessment

Applying the five domains model to broiler welfare reveals systemic deficits across nutrition, environment, health, behaviour, and mental state in conventional production systems.

Key Facts

Over 70 billion broiler chickens are slaughtered annually, making them the most numerous farmed vertebrate.
The five domains assess nutrition, physical environment, health, behaviour, and mental state.
Conventional broilers are housed at up to 42kg per square metre — below minimum recommended space.
Behavioural domain deficits include inability to dustbathe, perch, or perform active foraging behaviours.
Mental state assessment using cognitive bias tasks shows predominantly negative affective states in fast-growing broilers.

Welfare Considerations

Systematic five domains assessment of conventional broiler welfare reveals pervasive deficits across all domains. Nutritionally, feed optimised for growth rather than health creates metabolic problems. Environmentally, ammonia, heat, and crowding cause chronic discomfort. Health deficits from lameness, cardiovascular disease, and skin lesions are widespread. Behaviourally, natural repertoires are severely restricted. Mental state assessment suggests predominately negative affect. Higher-welfare systems addressing all five domains through slower growth, better housing, and enrichment produce dramatically different welfare profiles.

What You Can Do

Choose chicken from Better Chicken Commitment signatories using slower-growing breeds.
Ask retailers to disclose stocking density, lighting, and breed information for their chicken products.
Support welfare organisations monitoring Better Chicken Commitment progress across food companies.
Choose plant-based protein alternatives to reduce demand on conventional broiler systems.
Advocate for legally mandated broiler welfare standards equivalent to the Better Chicken Commitment.