Holly Spindler
As factory farming prioritises profit over welfare, the industry is forcing chickens to balloon in size. But what does this mean for the animals themselves?
Over the last few decades, the size of chickens farmed for meat has significantly changed. The birds our grandparents once saw in supermarkets were significantly smaller than those available for sale today.
This is because birds have since ballooned in size, due to intensive breeding to maximize efficiency and profitability. But while this has benefited producers by cutting down on feed costs and increasing profit margins, it’s been dangerous, painful, and even deadly for the birds.
What’s the average size of a chicken?
On commercial farms, where much of the meat and eggs that end up in our supermarkets come from, egg-laying hens can come in a wide variety of sizes, depending on their breed, age, and health, broiler chickens (those raised for meat) are much bigger.
This is because birds raised on factory farms have been specifically bred to make the most profit dependent on their purpose. Broiler chickens grow very large, very quickly—making them ideal for meat production—and egg-laying hens lay an excessive amount of eggs.
Size is a particularly pressing issue for broiler chickens, or rather chicks, as they’re still juveniles when they’re killed.
In order to reach slaughter weight in just five to six weeks, chickens put on an average of over two ounces every day. This swift weight gain causes acute and chronic suffering, as their legs can’t support their weight and their organs don’t develop quickly enough to support their considerable size, leading to heart attacks and mobility problems.
How much does a chicken weigh today?
Broiler chickens have dramatically increased in size over the last century. In 2019, for example, the average slaughter weight of a chicken in the US was about six pounds, while in the 1920s it was just over two pounds.
In the egg industry, one breed of hen raised widely is the Isa Brown, which weighs four to five pounds during her egg laying days. Isa Brown hens will lay in excess of 600 eggs in two years of life on the farm, before being sent to slaughter.
How much does a newly hatched chick weigh?
Most newly hatched chicks suffer from the moment they enter the world. Male chicks within the egg industry, for example, are considered useless byproducts, due to being unable to lay eggs. As a result, they are killed within hours of hatching.
Chicks hatched in the meat industry usually weigh just over an ounce, before rapidly growing in size then being slaughtered.
How do chickens gain weight?
Thanks to their genetics, which have been manipulated by the industry over many years, broiler chickens have a virtually insatiable appetite.
In order to be able to reproduce, parent birds have their diets carefully controlled in order to keep their weight down. It means that they’re constantly hungry.
What are the largest chicken breeds?
Though many chickens grow to be very large, broiler chickens are unique in that they are extremely feed-efficient, meaning they don’t require much feed to put on weight, and grow very quickly.
Most of the largest chicken breeds are backyard chickens, raised by hobbyists, or companion animals not typically used for their meat. Here are four of the biggest chicken breeds:
- Jersey Giant: At 10-15 pounds, these chickens might weigh more than your cat or dog.
- Dong Tao, aka Dragon Chickens: Recognizable by their significantly sized feet, Dong Tao chickens can weigh up to 13 pounds.
- Brahma: Called the “King of All Poultry,” these birds can weigh up to 13 pounds.
- O-Shamo: Weighing up to 12 pounds, O-Shamo chickens are also very tall, standing over two feet tall.
What are the smallest chicken breeds?
Conversely, there are miniature versions of many chicken breeds. Collectively, these and other smaller breeds are referred to as Bantams, a term also encompassing some types of ducks. Among Bantams, there are some birds that are particularly small, including:
- Serama: Widely regarded as the world’s smallest chicken breed, Seramas can weigh as little as half a pound when fully grown.
- Dutch Bantam: One of the few small chicken breeds without a corresponding larger breed, Dutch bantams can weigh in at just under one pound.
- Japanese Bantam: With short legs and a tail that towers over their head, Japanese Bantams weigh about one pound.
- Pekin Bantam: A very short, round bird, Pekin Bantams weigh in at around a pound when fully grown, and stand at only eight to 11 inches tall.
Have chickens always weighed the same amount?
People have been breeding chickens for certain characteristics for generations. While some birds have been favored for their unique feathering, the hue of their eggs, or how many eggs they lay, few traits have been as highly sought after as size.
In the last several decades, producers have taken this to the extreme—causing the birds raised for meat today to suffer immensely. Investigations have shown chickens unable to walk and forced to lay in their own waste that burns their skin.
This growth doesn't just affect the birds’ welfare, but the flesh itself. Evidence of this exists in the white stripes you see running across chicken breasts in the supermarket.
The bottom line
Chicken producers focus on maximizing the size and efficiency of their birds, all to drive more and more profit.
But animals are not just commodities. Chickens are individual animals that feel pain, form bonds, and show intelligence. For example, did you know that, even as chicks, they can count to five?
Chickens are more complex than the products they’re reduced to on factory farms, and they deserve better. We’re fighting to eliminate the worst suffering chickens endure on farms. Join us, and take action in our campaigns.
