Litter quality in broiler chicken houses is a critical welfare determinant that directly affects the prevalence of painful contact dermatitis and respiratory disease.
Litter quality connects directly to bird welfare in every broiler house through two primary mechanisms: contact injuries from wet litter touching skin, and respiratory damage from ammonia produced by wet litter. Hock burns from ammonia-soaked litter cause open painful wounds on the backs of birds legs that affect their gait and comfort. The fact that hock burn prevalence is used as a welfare indicator in some regulatory systems demonstrates how clearly this condition reflects management failures. Better management - lower stocking density, better ventilation, appropriate litter materials - reliably improves litter quality and reduces suffering at minimal cost.