Better Chicken Commitment

Most chickens are bred to grow so big so fast that they may struggle to walk, have difficulty breathing and often become lame. Many develop serious heart conditions making them even more inactive. Their oversized bodies cause their muscles to degenerate, which is very painful for the chickens.

The use of fast-growing breeds also has had an adverse effect on the meat produced, which is sometimes affected by ‘white striping’ where fatty deposits are stored in the breast muscle, or ‘wooden breast’ - a hardening of the muscle tissue when cells die due to lack of oxygen. 

The Solution

The Better Chicken Commitment requires the use of slower-growing breeds as this can radically improve the birds’ health and quality of life. They can walk more easily, have stronger hearts and better resistance to disease – reducing the need for antibiotics. 

In poor welfare systems chickens live their whole lives cramped and confined in barren, overcrowded sheds. They grow so fast their living space is quickly diminished and they are constantly jostling for space, which can cause distress. Chickens dislike being crammed together and will compress their feathers to avoid being touched.

In intensive farming systems chickens don’t have the space they need to exhibit any natural behaviours such as pecking, wing flapping or even walking. These overcrowded conditions also encourage disease and bacteria to spread.

The Solution

A chicken’s life is made better when they are given more space to walk around, play and investigate their environment. They can also seek out quiet areas to rest. That is why the Better Chicken Commitment stipulates a maximum chicken stocking density of 30kg/m² rather than the 39kg/m² stocking density that is accepted in lower welfare systems.

Chickens would naturally spend their day foraging for food, scratching the ground looking for insects and seeds, maintaining their plumage condition via dustbathing and preening as well as perching in trees to avoid predators. These natural instincts remain in the broiler chickens used for meat today.

A lack of stimulation, natural light and the ability to perch has a negative effect on their wellbeing, leaving them frustrated, inactive and bored.

The Solution

The Better Chicken Commitment requires at least 50 lux of light, including natural light, and at least two metres of usable perch space and two pecking objects such as grain or straw per 1,000 birds. This improves their quality of life and enriches how they spend their days.

Electrical water bath stunning is the common method for the slaughter of poultry across the globe. There are, however, significant animal welfare concerns with this method. These include the need to handle the birds manually to place them into shackles, hanging them by their feet, and it is very hard to control the consistency of electrical stun each chicken receives. This process causes the birds extreme stress.

The Solution

Controlled Atmospheric Stunning (CAS) systems which use inert gas, or effective electrical stunning without handling live birds upside down, are another of the requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment. 

These systems work on a stun-kill basis, so there is no risk of the chickens recovering consciousness after stunning. Another significant advantage is that the birds can remain in their transport modules throughout the whole process, avoiding the need for live handling. 

More and more consumers are interested in the provenance of their food and want to know about how the animals are reared.

Animal welfare certification is key, so if you buy chicken or other animal-based products, it is important to look out for recognised logos or assurance schemes that have recognised welfare benefits. Phrases such as ‘trusted farms’, ‘trusted farmers’, ‘butcher’s choice’ or ‘reared with care’ do NOT have a legal definition you can rely on.

The Solution

The Better Chicken Commitment requires companies to rear their chickens in higher welfare systems that comply with, and are audited by, recognised welfare assurance schemes. The following schemes meet the Better Chicken Commitment standards:

• RSPCA Assured (it has to be at the ‘Assured’ level)
• Red Tractor Enhanced Welfare (it has to be at the ‘Enhanced Welfare’ level)
• Soil Association