Foot pad dermatitis (FPD) in broiler chickens is caused by wet, ammonia-saturated litter and is a reliable welfare indicator. Litter management is therefore a central welfare challenge in indoor poultry production.
FPD is simultaneously a welfare indicator and a welfare problem. As an indicator, it reflects litter conditions that also cause respiratory tract damage from ammonia, impaired immune function and increased disease susceptibility. As a problem in itself, severe lesions cause pain that alters how birds move, eat and socialise. The good news is that FPD is responsive to management: ventilation improvements, reduced stocking density, drinker adjustments and straw bale provision all demonstrably reduce FPD scores. The challenge is economic: denser flocks are more profitable, and the welfare cost of FPD is borne by the animal rather than the producer.