Broiler breeder chickens — the parent flocks that produce the eggs hatched into fast-growing meat chickens — face a unique welfare dilemma: they carry the genetics for extreme growth but must be feed-restricted to prevent fatal obesity.
Broiler breeder welfare represents a dilemma created by genetics: the same rapid growth genes that make commercial broilers efficient also make their parents obese if fed to appetite. The welfare solution — restriction of feed to prevent obesity — creates chronic hunger in animals with a strong drive to eat. Behavioral research confirms that feed-restricted broiler breeders show elevated motivation to eat, increased aggression, and persistent foraging in empty feeders — behavioral indicators of a chronic negative welfare state. This welfare problem is genetic in origin and requires genetic solutions: selecting broiler breeds with slower growth rates simultaneously reduces the need for severe restriction in breeders. The Better Chicken Commitment transition to slower-growing breeds therefore provides welfare benefits across two generations — broilers and breeders alike.