Broiler breeder hens and roosters face a unique welfare dilemma: genetically selected for rapid growth like their offspring, they must be kept underweight through feed restriction to remain reproductively healthy, causing chronic hunger.
Broiler breeder welfare represents the upstream welfare problem of the broiler industry. The genetic selection that creates rapid-growing market birds simultaneously creates parent birds whose reproductive viability requires management that causes chronic hunger. The birds cannot simply eat to satiety - doing so causes skeletal problems, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive failure. The welfare cost of chronic hunger is significant and well-documented in the behavior of restricted birds. Higher-fiber feeding strategies that reduce hunger while maintaining caloric restriction represent a meaningful improvement, as do slower-growing genetics at the breeder level. Consumer and corporate commitments to improved broiler welfare must include breeder welfare to address the full welfare chain.