Poultry Farming

Poultry Litter Quality and Footpad Health

Litter quality directly affects footpad dermatitis prevalence in broilers, making litter management a key welfare intervention.

Key Facts

Footpad dermatitis (FPD) affects over 80% of broilers in some flocks
Wet litter containing caustic ammonia compounds damages the foot pad
Scoring FPD at slaughter provides welfare feedback to producers
Litter amendments such as alum can reduce moisture and bacterial load
Drinker design significantly affects litter moisture and FPD prevalence

Welfare Considerations

Footpad dermatitis causes painful lesions that impair walking and foraging. Severe FPD indicates a systemic litter management failure. Slaughter-line scoring programmes link on-farm conditions to welfare outcomes, creating accountability that drives improvement when reporting is mandatory and transparent.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory FPD scoring at slaughter with farm-level reporting
Choose chicken from farms with documented litter management programmes
Advocate for FPD prevalence as a mandatory welfare assurance indicator