Broiler Breeder Welfare and Chronic Hunger from Feed Restriction

Broiler breeder chickens are chronically feed-restricted to prevent obesity from fast-growth genetics, causing severe and prolonged hunger that represents one of the most significant welfare problems in commercial poultry.

Key Facts

Broiler breeders are the parent generation of commercial meat chickens
Without feed restriction they develop obesity causing cardiovascular disease and reproductive failure
Feed restriction reduces daily allowance to 25-30% of what birds would eat ad libitum
Restricted birds show persistent food-seeking behaviour indicating chronic hunger
Welfare scientists rate the suffering from chronic hunger among the most severe in commercial farming

Welfare Considerations

The chronic hunger experienced by feed-restricted broiler breeders is widely considered one of the most serious unresolved welfare problems in commercial animal agriculture. Birds are hungry every day of their productive lives, engaging in persistent food-seeking behaviour, aggression at feeders, and stereotypic pacing. The genetic basis of the problem means that improving breeder welfare requires selecting away from extreme growth genetics in the broiler itself — a systemic change that the industry has been slow to pursue. Transition to slower-growing broiler breeds eliminates the need for severe feed restriction of breeders.

What You Can Do

Choose chicken and eggs from slower-growing broiler breeds that eliminate the need for severe feed restriction
Advocate for breed welfare assessment criteria in poultry farm assurance schemes
Support research into slow-growing broiler breeds with body conformations that do not require feed-restricted breeding
Engage with retailers on transitioning their supply chains to slower-growing broiler genetics
Raise awareness of broiler breeder welfare among consumers and policy makers