Study reveals broiler chicken health problems

Selective breeding processes may have increased the likelihood of inherited health issues among broiler chickens, a new study has argued.

University of Bristol experts have published a study in the journal Public Library of Science ONE, revealing that more than a quarter of birds raised using the intensive farming method have difficulty walking.

The researchers highlighted the impact of artificially high growth rates as a result of genetic selection on the chickens' ability to walk, with 3.3 per cent of the birds almost totally unable to walk at an average age of 40 days.

"Broiler chickens have been subjected to intense genetic selection," the report's author, Dr Toby Knowles, explained in a statement. "In the past 50 years, broiler growth rates have increased by over 300 per cent from 25 grams per day to 100 grams per day."

"Our research shows that the primary risk factors associated with impaired locomotion and poor leg health are those specifically associated with rate of growth."