Welfare science of litter management in broiler chicken production, examining the impact of litter quality on foot pad dermatitis, hock burn, and respiratory welfare in intensively farmed chickens.
Broiler litter quality is a welfare nexus — the condition of litter substrate under tens of thousands of chickens determines the foot health of every bird in the house. Poor litter management causes FPD that affects the majority of birds, creating painful foot lesions that impair normal walking, social behavior, and access to resources. Because litter quality depends on multiple interacting management factors — ventilation, stocking density, water delivery systems, feed composition — improving it requires integrated management expertise rather than single-point interventions. FPD scoring at slaughter provides welfare feedback that links farm management to welfare outcomes, creating accountability. Higher welfare certification schemes that set FPD thresholds and require corrective action provide market-based incentives for litter management investment.