Broiler breeder chickens — the parent birds of commercial meat chickens — experience severe chronic hunger as a routine management practice, representing one of the most troubling welfare issues in poultry production.
Broiler breeder welfare represents a paradox created by selective breeding: the genetic lines optimized for maximum meat yield in offspring grow so rapidly that parent birds fed ad libitum would become obese and infertile. The solution universally adopted by the industry — chronic feed restriction — inflicts a state of persistent hunger on billions of birds. Research by Ian Duncan and others has demonstrated that restricted breeders show all behavioral hallmarks of hunger: food-seeking behavior persisting long after feeding, aggression around feeders, and high-frequency stereotypies that peak before feeding time. The welfare cost is considered by many animal scientists to be among the highest of any farming practice. Alternative solutions including developing slower-growing breeder lines or modified feeding systems are under investigation but not yet commercially adopted.