Litter management in poultry houses directly affects footpad health, respiratory disease, and ammonia levels. Poor litter is a major driver of welfare failure.
Litter quality sits at the intersection of multiple welfare challenges in poultry. Poor litter causes chronic pain from footpad lesions, respiratory irritation from ammonia, and immune depression from pathogen exposure. Proactive management through ventilation, stocking, and litter treatment is both economically and welfare justified. It is one of the most directly measurable welfare indicators available.