Broiler chickens are highly susceptible to heat stress as intensive breeding has reduced their thermoregulatory capacity, making climate change a growing welfare threat in poultry production.
Heat stress in broiler chickens is both a welfare problem and a production problem - but the welfare dimension often receives less attention than the economic one. Panting birds that cannot cool effectively experience significant physiological distress. Sub-acute heat stress causes chronic immune suppression and reduced welfare without obvious visible signs. Fast-growing breeds are disproportionately vulnerable due to their high metabolic heat production. As climate change increases the frequency of hot weather events, investments in ventilation, cooling, and potentially breed selection for heat tolerance become welfare priorities as well as economic necessities.