Our sources

This website’s content and our work are based on recent scientific evidence.  

General resources

RSPCA Australia  

Compassion in World Farming  

RSPCA (England & Wales) 

Scientific reviews and articles 

EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (2023). Welfare of broilers on farm. EFSA Journal 21(2):7788. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7788  

SCAHAW (Scientific Committee in Animal Health and Animal Welfare) (2000). The welfare of chickens kept for meat production (broilers). European Commission, Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General, Brussels, Belgium. 

Beausoleil NJ and Mellor DJ (2015). Introducing breathlessness as a significant animal welfare issue. New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 63(1)44-51. https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2014.940410  

Bergmann S et al. (2017) Behavior as welfare indicator for the rearing of broilers in an enriched husbandry environment—A field study. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 19:90-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2017.03.003 

Biswas A (2009). Pulmonary hypertension syndrome in broiler chickens: a review. Veterinarski Arhiv, 89(5), pp.723-734. https://doi.org/10.24099/vet.arhiv.0396   

Dawson LC et al. (2010) In pursuit of a better broiler: a comparison of the inactivity, behavior, and enrichment use of fast-and slower growing broiler chickens. Poultry Science, 100(12):101451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2021.101451 

Dixon LM (2020). Slow and steady wins the race: The behaviour and welfare of commercial faster growing broiler breeds compared to a commercial slower growing breed. PLoS one, 15(4):p.e0231006. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231006  

Hartcher KM and Lum HK (2020). Genetic selection of broilers and welfare consequences: a review, World's Poultry Science Journal, 76:1, 154-167, https://doi.org/10.1080/00439339.2019.1680025  

Nichol CJ et al. (2017). Farmed bird welfare science review. Agriculture Victoria, pp 321. www.agriculture.vic.gov.au 

Nicol CJ, Abeyesinghe SM and Chang Y-M (2024). An analysis of the welfare of fast-growing and slower-growing strains of broiler chicken. Frontiers in Animal Science 5:1374609. https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2024.1374609  

Ocejo M, Oporto B and Hurtado A (2019). 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing characterization of caecal microbiome composition of broilers and free-range slow-growing chickens throughout their productive lifespan. Scientific reports, 9(1):2506. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39323-x  

Olanrewaju HA et al. (2006) A Review of Lighting Programs for Broiler Production. International Journal of Poultry Science 5(4):301-308. https://doi.org:10.3923/ijps.2006.301.308  

Petracci M et al. (2019). Wooden-breast, white striping, and spaghetti meat: causes, consequences and consumer perception of emerging broiler meat abnormalities. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 18(2), pp.565-583. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12431  

Rayner, A.C., Newberry, R.C., Vas, J. and Mullan, S., 2020. Slow-growing broilers are healthier and express more behavioural indicators of positive welfare. Scientific reports, 10(1):15151. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72198-x  

Tahamtani FM et al. (2018). Effects of environmental complexity on fearfulness and learning ability in fast growing broiler chickens. Applied animal behaviour science, 207:49-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2018.04.005  

Van der Eijk (2023) Fast- and slower-growing broilers respond similiarly to a reduction in stocking density with regard to gait, hock burn, skin lesions, cleanliness and performance. Poultry Science 102:102603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102603  

Weimer SL, Mauromoustakos A, Karcher DM and Erasmus MA (2020). Differences in performance, body conformation, and welfare of conventional and slow-growing broiler chickens raised at 2 stocking densities. Poultry Science, 99(9):4398-4407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2020.06.009