Broiler Chicken Health and Welfare: Key Metrics

Welfare-relevant health metrics for broiler chickens — including gait score, footpad dermatitis, and mortality rate — provide objective measures of production system performance.

Key Facts

Gait scoring assesses leg health in broilers: scores of 3+ (out of 5) indicate significant lameness and pain
Footpad dermatitis (FPD) affects up to 80% of broilers in high-stocking-density or wet-litter conditions
The EU Broiler Directive uses cumulative daily mortality and FPD as welfare outcome indicators
Heart and lung problems (ascites, SDS) from rapid growth cause silent welfare compromise before death
Mortality rates in commercial broiler flocks typically range from 2-5%; higher rates indicate welfare problems
Outcome-based welfare assessment focuses on animal-measured indicators rather than input standards alone

Welfare Considerations

Welfare assessment for broiler chickens has evolved from input-based standards (stocking density, enrichment provision) to outcome-based metrics that directly measure the animals' condition. Gait scoring, footpad assessment, and mortality analysis provide objective welfare data that can drive continuous improvement. The most welfare-advanced broiler production systems combine lower stocking density, slower-growing breeds, enrichment provision, and regular outcome monitoring — demonstrating that commercial viability and measurable welfare improvement are compatible when both are prioritized.

What You Can Do

Choose chicken certified to Better Chicken Commitment standards that include outcome-based welfare monitoring
Ask food companies and retailers about gait score and footpad data from their broiler supply chains
Support campaigns that require public reporting of welfare outcome metrics by major chicken producers
Reduce chicken consumption or choose plant-based alternatives to reduce demand for intensively produced birds