Modern broiler chickens have been selectively bred for growth rates so extreme that welfare problems are genetically embedded, causing leg weakness, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders in the majority of birds.
The broiler welfare crisis is unique because it is primarily genetic — the welfare problems are not primarily caused by management practices but by the physiological consequences of extreme growth rate selection. Birds that grow so rapidly their cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems cannot keep pace experience systemic health problems from the moment of hatching. Leg weakness causes chronic pain and prevents normal locomotor behavior. Cardiac failures represent sudden death with preceding discomfort. The solution requires genetic change — adopting slower-growing breeds whose welfare outcomes are dramatically better — combined with enriched environments providing perches, natural light, and foraging opportunities. The Better Chicken Commitment by food companies represents a significant industry initiative whose timely fulfillment will meaningfully reduce welfare harm across billions of animals.