Broiler Chickens is a short practical book of guidelines and advice to good welfare practice in broiler chicken farming. With contributions from world expert researchers in poultry welfare, this book distils academic research into applied advice on the farm for industry and farm workers. The content covered includes health and disease impacts with a One Health focus, housing for optimal health, broiler breeders, hatchery management, broiler slaughter practices, transport, animal welfare assessment measures and a discussion of welfare improvement measures on the farm.

This collection features five peer-reviewed literature reviews on poultry housing systems. The first chapter reviews current poultry housing systems and the recent emergence of enriched cages and cage-free systems. It explores the impact of conventional cages on bird health and welfare, looking primarily at bone health. The second chapter examines the impact of different housing systems on the safety and quality of eggs. It reviews how hen housing and flock management can affect indicator populations, foodborne pathogens and chemical contamination. The third chapter considers the relationship between housing conditions and management in the rearing and production of broilers. It reviews the major welfare issues related to the housing of broilers, including feed and water restriction. The fourth chapter discusses current environmental enrichment strategies implemented in poultry production. The chapter details the benefits of these strategies, as well as their role in contributing to more sustainable production models. The final chapter reviews current knowledge on perching behaviour of chickens, as well as the associated risks to bird health and welfare that arise with the use of elevated structures, such as keel bone damage.