Animal welfare implications
Broiler chicken welfare is most likely to be improved in
practice if animal welfare traits such as good walking
ability, good feathering and healthy legs and feet are seen as
compatible, rather than in conflict, with other goals such as
commercial production. Although reduction in juvenile
growth rate is often seen as the only way to improve broiler
welfare, evidence from a variety of sources shows that high
growth rate does not inevitably lead to poor welfare in
either broilers or broiler breeders. In order to give animal
welfare a higher priority in poultry breeding programme, it
is necessary to explore more ways of reducing the conflict
between high welfare and commercial needs.