Conventional broiler chickens grow so rapidly that many cannot walk or breathe properly by slaughter weight. Slow-growth breeds and the Better Chicken Commitment represent significant welfare improvements for billions of birds.
The shift toward slow-growth broiler breeds represents one of the most significant potential welfare improvements in the largest animal-use sector globally. The welfare problems of fast-growing conventional breeds are well-documented: skeletal disorders from growth outpacing bone development, cardiovascular disease, contact dermatitis from inability to move away from litter, and reduced behavioral repertoire due to reduced mobility. Slow-growth breeds are not a complete welfare solution — stocking density, environmental enrichment, and management quality matter regardless of breed — but they address the most fundamental welfare problem: birds growing so fast their bodies cannot function adequately. The Better Chicken Commitment has created commercial momentum toward slow-growth, demonstrating that the food industry can make meaningful welfare reforms when consumer and campaign pressure is sustained and specific.