Stocking density in broiler production is a primary determinant of welfare quality, with overcrowding causing multiple simultaneous welfare harms at scale.
Stocking density in broiler production affects multiple welfare dimensions simultaneously. Overcrowded birds have limited space to walk (many do not walk willingly given leg problems), cannot perform dustbathing, have reduced access to feeders and drinkers, experience higher ammonia concentrations, and show increased injurious pecking. Each of these welfare harms worsens as density increases. The welfare case for lower stocking densities is essentially uncontested in the scientific literature — the only reason commercial densities remain high is economic, not biological.