Farm Animals

Poultry Parent Stock Welfare: Breeding Birds

Broiler parent stock (PS) welfare is a neglected area - birds genetically programmed for rapid growth are feed-restricted to control their size, causing chronic hunger.

Key Facts

Broiler parent stock females are feed-restricted by up to 50% of ad libitum intake
Feed restriction causes hunger-related behaviours including stereotypic pecking and bar biting
Males experience even more severe restriction to control body weight for reproductive performance
Alternative feeding programmes and slower-growing parent stock lines are under commercial development

Welfare Considerations

Broiler parent stock welfare is a hidden scandal within commercial poultry - genetically exceptional birds subjected to chronic hunger throughout their productive lives. Addressing this requires either feeding the birds adequately (at the cost of reproductive problems in current genetics) or switching to slower-growing parent lines.

What You Can Do

Support organisations campaigning for parent stock welfare improvements
Engage with poultry breeding companies about their commitments to addressing parent hunger
Advocate for parent stock welfare to be included in Better Chicken Commitment-type corporate policies