Litter quality in broiler houses has profound effects on bird welfare. Wet, compacted litter causes contact dermatitis, lameness, and respiratory disease in confined chickens.
Litter quality is a direct welfare determinant for broiler chickens that is within farmer control. The chronic skin lesions caused by poor litter contact — hock burns, footpad dermatitis, breast blisters — cause pain throughout the bird's life and are visible at slaughter, enabling systematic monitoring. The Welfare Quality assessment protocol and EU Broiler Directive both use footpad dermatitis prevalence as a key welfare indicator, creating a direct link between measurable welfare outcomes and regulatory compliance. Improving litter quality requires managing the interacting factors of stocking density, ventilation design, drinker water management, and litter substrate quality. The Better Chicken Commitment addresses many of these factors: lower stocking densities reduce moisture load, and enrichment requirements drive litter management improvements. Footpad scoring at slaughter plants provides real-time welfare feedback that can drive farm-level improvements.