Broiler Chicken Welfare and Slower Growth

Switching broiler chicken production to slower-growing breeds is the single most impactful welfare improvement available to the industry, addressing multiple welfare problems simultaneously.

Key Facts

Slower-growing broiler breeds with growth rates below 50g per day show significantly lower lameness and cardiovascular problems
Major food companies including KFC, McDonalds, and Burger King have made slower-growing breed commitments
Slower-growing chickens cost approximately 10-15 cents more per kilogram to produce
The Better Chicken Commitment is a comprehensive welfare standard signed by hundreds of companies globally

Welfare Considerations

Slower-growing broiler breeds represent the most transformative single welfare intervention available in poultry production. By addressing the root genetic cause of lameness, cardiovascular failure, and metabolic disease in commercial chickens, breed change improves multiple welfare dimensions simultaneously. Corporate commitments to the Better Chicken Commitment are creating market pressure that is beginning to shift the industry.

What You Can Do

Support companies that have signed the Better Chicken Commitment and hold them accountable to implementation timelines
Advocate for slower-growing breed sourcing from major food companies and retailers that have not yet committed
Choose higher welfare chicken products from companies using slower-growing breeds
Support campaigns that track and publicize company progress toward Better Chicken Commitment implementation
Donate to welfare organizations monitoring corporate commitment delivery and advocating for accountability