Heat stress is a growing welfare challenge for commercial poultry as climate change increases the frequency of extreme temperature events in UK and European production areas.
Heat stress in commercial poultry combines the welfare harms of thermal distress — panting, reduced mobility, cardiac strain — with the mortality of birds that cannot regulate their body temperature in extreme conditions. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of summer heat events in UK and European poultry production regions, heat stress will become an increasingly significant welfare challenge. Buildings designed for cooler climates require retrofit ventilation and cooling systems. Fast-growing breeds with high metabolic heat production are more vulnerable than slower-growing breeds — another welfare argument for breed reform. Contingency planning for extreme heat events is increasingly essential farm welfare infrastructure.