An HSUS Report: Welfare Issues with Selective Breeding for Rapid Growth in Broiler Chickens and Turkeys |
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Abstract
The overwhelming majority of the more than 9 billion birds raised for human consumption each year in the United States are members of fast-growing breeds selectively bred to achieve slaughter weight in the shortest period of time. In five decades, the rearing time for broiler chickens decreased by nearly half, from 84 to 45 days, and today's turkeys reach 35 pounds in 132 days, rather than the 220 days it took 40 years ago. Emphasizing productivity can often be at odds with animal welfare and, as a result, has severely reduced the health and well-being of farmed birds. As a result of this forced rapid growth, many chickens and turkeys today struggle to withstand the pressures their weakened bodies endure, with significant percentages experiencing acute and chronic pain, leg abnormalities and disorders, skeletal and cardiovascular disease, and other disabilities.
Date Published:
02/27/06
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