Broiler breeder (parent) birds are kept to produce the eggs that hatch into commercial broiler chickens. Their welfare is severely compromised by feed restriction programmes that prevent the extreme weight gain their genetics predispose them to.
Broiler parent feed restriction creates one of the most severe and long-lasting welfare problems in commercial poultry production. Birds spend their entire productive lives in a state of chronic, unsatisfied hunger. The frustration of the drive to eat in birds whose genetics predispose them to continuous feeding is genuine suffering lasting months. The irony that higher-welfare broiler production depends on parent birds suffering from severe feed restriction is a systemic failure that requires breeding programme reform. Slower-growing parent breeds that can be managed without extreme restriction are the long-term welfare solution.