Broiler breeder chickens — the parents of commercial broilers — are feed-restricted throughout their lives to prevent the health problems of their fast-growing genetics, creating chronic hunger that is itself a severe welfare problem.
Broiler breeders experience a welfare dilemma entirely created by the genetics selected for their offspring: they are hungry for their entire productive lives as the only way to keep them healthy enough to breed. The chronic hunger of millions of broiler breeder hens represents one of the more intractable welfare problems in commercial poultry production, because it is caused by the same genetic selection that drives the profitability of the entire broiler industry. High-fiber diet alternatives can substantially reduce hunger while maintaining production targets.