Chicks on Speed: Big Chicken's Push for Faster Birds, But Slower Reform

The global chicken industry has engineered birds that grow at unprecedented speeds - over 400% faster than in the 1950s - creating what scientists call "probably the biggest animal welfare problem in all animal husbandry."

Two companies, Aviagen and Cobb-Vantress, control 95% of chicken genetics worldwide from high-security R&D facilities, determining the characteristics of virtually all commercial chickens. Their fast-growing breeds experience painful skeletal disorders, cardiovascular problems, and muscle abnormalities.

Most critically, parent breeding birds endure constant hunger throughout their extended lives as they must be severely feed-restricted to prevent reproductive failure, creating what experts call the "broiler breeder paradox."

While the European regulators have concluded that slower-growing breeds have better welfare, industry groups have launched coordinated campaigns to deflect responsibility toward farm management rather than genetics. The Better Chicken Commitment, an NGO initiative pushing for slower-growing breeds, has gained traction with major food companies, but faces fierce industry resistance through lobbying, commissioned studies, and public relations tactics aimed at preserving the current production model.

As activists and scientists push for reform and courts consider whether these "Frankenchickens" violate animal welfare laws, the battle over chicken genetics stands to reshape a global industry that maintains a population of 22.7 billion broilers—the largest population of a single bird species in history.

Key findings:

• Just two breeding companies, Aviagen and Cobb-Vantress, control 95% of the world's chicken genetics, creating the most concentrated animal genetics industry globally. Their tightly controlled pyramid system enables genes from a small number of pedigree birds to ultimately produce billions of meat chickens.
• Fast-growing "Turbochickens" like Aviagen's Ross 308 reach slaughter weight in around 33 days (compared to 112 days in the 1920s) and suffer from painful skeletal disorders, cardiovascular problems, and muscle abnormalities like "wooden-breast syndrome" that breeding efforts have failed to eliminate without reducing growth rate.
• Breeder birds suffer constant hunger as their feed must be severely restricted to prevent them from becoming too large to reproduce, a paradox created by selecting for rapid growth that animal welfare scientists identify as a severe welfare problem.
• The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that slower-growing breeds have better welfare, but industry groups have launched coordinated attacks on its scientific credibility to protect their business model.
• The industry deflects responsibility by arguing that farm management, not genetics, is the primary determinant of welfare despite scientific evidence to the contrary. The Animal Agriculture Alliance in the US and AVEC in Europe are leading organized resistance against welfare initiatives.

Photo (c) L214.