The quality of litter (floor substrate) in broiler chicken houses has profound welfare implications, with wet or contaminated litter causing footpad dermatitis, hock burns, and breast blisters affecting millions of birds.
Footpad dermatitis causes chronic pain in affected birds - lesions begin as superficial skin discoloration but progress to deep ulcers affecting the underlying tissue. Birds with severe footpad dermatitis show reduced movement, altered weight distribution, and behavioral indicators of pain. The high prevalence of this condition - affecting millions of broiler chickens annually in the EU alone - represents an enormous sum of preventable suffering. Good litter management through appropriate substrate, ventilation, stocking density, and drinker design can maintain dry conditions that prevent dermatitis. At-slaughter scoring provides accountability and feedback to farms with poor litter management.