Welfare issues
Here are some of the key welfare issues affecting chickens bred for meat:
Space allowance
Around 80 per cent of all meat or ‘broiler’ chickens are reared to minimum welfare standards, in which each chicken has less space than a sheet of A4 paper - that's less space than is provided for battery hens kept in cages.
Fast growth
They are bred to grow very quickly. The time from when they hatch to appearing as packaged meat in the supermarket can be only 35 days. This rapid growth can cause them a variety of health problems such as heart failure and lameness.
Lighting to maximise growth rate
They are kept in near constant dim light. Dim light discourages activity to maximise their growth and they are only given a few hours of complete darkness each day to rest properly. Long periods of light encourages the birds to eat more and therefore grow more quickly.
Signs of suffering
RSPCA research revealed 82 per cent of 'standard' supermarket chickens had hock burns. These leg sores are caused by prolonged contact with wood shavings on the floors of the chicken sheds, which contain high levels of ammonia from the chickens’ excrement.
Read our report on how rearing chickens to higher welfare standards can benefit the chicken, producer, retailer and consumer.
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