Commercial Poultry Production Stocking Density Influence on Bird Health and Performance Indicators

This study examines poultry production stocking density (SD) effect on bird welfare and economic performance. It is based on a large dataset from commercial production including observations for 2.2 million male broilers and 2.3 million female broilers from 37 production sites, with SD ranging from 20.63 kg/m² to 41.15 kg/m². The data collection was originally motivated by a processor's economic concerns that increasing SD could cause slower broiler growth, higher condemnations, and lower grade meat. The data was examined using several linear regressions to determine how production parameters impacted these performance indicators. Results regarding foot pad lesion, condemnations, and mortality rates are consistent with those found in the literature. However, we find that daily weight gain is positively associated with SD, contrasting with past experimental results. The difference between the scope of commercial and experimental productions is discussed as a possible reason for these conflicting results.