Livestock

Gait Scoring as a Welfare Monitoring Tool in Broiler Production

Gait scoring is a validated, widely-used tool for assessing leg health and welfare in commercial broiler chickens, with growing regulatory and audit applications.

Key Facts

The Bristol Gait Score uses a 0-5 scale: 0 = normal gait; 3+ = impaired welfare-relevant locomotion; 5 = unable to walk
Industry surveys find that 25-30% of commercial broilers show gait scores of 3 or above at slaughter weight
Lameness in broilers is a multifactorial welfare problem involving genetics, growth rate, litter quality, nutrition and stocking density
Slow-growing breeds consistently show better gait scores and lower lameness prevalence than fast-growing commercial lines

Welfare Considerations

Lameness is one of the most significant welfare problems in global broiler production. Lame birds spend more time lying on litter — increasing breast blister and hock burn risk — eat and drink less, and show behavioural indicators of chronic pain. Gait scoring, conducted by trained assessors, provides farm-level welfare data that can trigger management changes. Auditing gait scores at slaughter provides supply chain welfare accountability.

What You Can Do

Adopt regular on-farm gait scoring using the Bristol 0-5 scale
Set flock-level targets: no more than 5% gait score 3+ is achievable with good management
Investigate and address litter quality, feeding system design and stocking density when scores rise
Support transition to slower-growing breeds with better welfare outcomes for leg health