The Welfare Footprint Project investigated the suffering experienced by different commercial breeds of chickens used in the meat industry. They specifically compared conventional fast-growing breeds to slower growing Better Chicken Commitment compliant breeds. 

It can be more profitable to put up with a relatively high percentage of birds dying early from health problems, compared to the cost and effort involved in preventing these problems. 

Walking problems are one of the easiest animal welfare issues to spot.  

Let’s explore some of the ways fast-growing chicken breeds struggle to move under their own weight.

Meat chickens, often referred to as “broilers” are completely different breeds to the chickens raised for egg laying. These separate breeds were first invented in the 1950s.

How has this genetic selection over many chicken generations impacted their welfare? Read on to find out why chickens of today look so different from your grandparents' chickens.

World Animal Protection was the first organisation to begin campaigning for the Better Chicken Commitment in Australia. They’ve been tracking the progress of companies towards higher welfare standards for chickens raised for meat. We’ve highlighted the most important messages of their latest report. 

Launched today, Better Chicken Australia is a new joint campaign backed by the Australian Alliance for Animals, World Animal Protection and Animals Aotearoa, which aims to lift the lid on the conditions faced by 700 million chickens farmed for meat in Australia every year.