The parent flocks that produce broiler breeding eggs face a hidden welfare crisis - feed restriction to prevent obesity and early death in birds bred for rapid growth. This overlooked welfare problem affects millions of birds in the broiler supply chain.
Broiler breeder welfare represents a hidden welfare crisis at the root of the chicken supply chain. Every broiler chicken sold in a standard UK supermarket comes from parents that spent their lives in chronic hunger - an unsatisfied motivation state that causes persistent suffering across millions of birds. The irony is acute: birds bred for rapid growth must be starved throughout their productive lives because the same genetics that make their offspring grow fast make the parents fatally prone to obesity and cardiovascular disease. This is not an accidental side effect - it is a predictable and documented consequence of selective breeding that prioritises growth rate above all else, including the welfare of the breeding animals.