Modern broiler genetics select for extreme growth rates that compromise bird welfare. Better Chicken Commitment standards address genetic, space, and management drivers of welfare failure.
The welfare problems of conventional broiler production are systemic, rooted in genetics that prioritise growth rate over bird health and wellbeing. A chicken that cannot walk comfortably, struggles to breathe, and spends its brief life in overcrowded, poorly managed litter has welfare that fails by any objective measure. The genetic drivers of this welfare failure are the most important element — even excellent management cannot fully compensate for physiological compromises designed into the bird's genome. Slower-growing genetics with appropriate space, lighting, and enrichment produce chickens that genuinely behave like chickens: active, exploratory, and capable of normal movement. The Better Chicken Commitment represents the clearest roadmap for industry-wide welfare improvement.