The quality of litter in poultry houses directly affects the welfare of broiler chickens and laying hens. Wet, compacted, or ammoniated litter causes painful foot and skin lesions that affect millions of birds.
Hock burns and footpad dermatitis are among the most measurable and preventable sources of chronic pain in broiler chickens. A bird with severe hock burns stands on painful inflamed lesions for its entire life, modifying its gait and lying behavior in ways that indicate significant welfare compromise. The cause — wet, ammoniated litter — is preventable through appropriate ventilation, reasonable stocking density, and good flock management. The fact that hock burn rates remain high across many commercial operations reflects management choices made in the context of economic pressure toward high stocking densities. Slaughterhouse-based welfare monitoring that feeds back to farms provides the accountability mechanism needed to drive improvement. Consumer demand for certified products with low hock burn rates creates the market incentive that translates accountability into action.