The modern chicken is bred to grow too big, too fast. These chickens reach slaughter weight in about six weeks—less than half the time it would take slower-growing or “heritage” breeds. So fast, in fact, their bones, hearts, and lungs often can’t keep up causing crippling lameness or heart failure. What’s more, they don’t have access to the outdoors, and tens of thousands of chickens may be crammed into a single shed.

But there are better choices out there, and more and more food companies are committing to better chicken. If you’re buying chicken at the supermarket, be sure to look for meaningful, third-party animal welfare certifications that help ensure a better quality of life for chickens—namely, Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Step 3, Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC), or higher or Animal Welfare Approved (AWA). Check out our “Learn the Labels” page for more details.

If you’re looking for chicken from systems with the highest welfare potential, seek out certified “pasture-raised.” Be sure to ask the company, farm, or restaurant if they’re using higher welfare breeds of chicken, which are typically slower-growing and better suited for life on pasture. While pasture-raised chicken can cost a bit more, animals raised in this system will have access to the outdoors and have full potential to express their natural behaviors.

Better chicken also means better nutrition: factory-farmed, fast-growth chickens are prone to severe muscle disorders that make the meat much higher in fat (up to 224 percent higher!) and lower in protein.

Turkey

As with chickens, turkeys raised in pasture-raised systems have the highest welfare potential. Unfortunately, most turkeys are raised in intensive, indoor systems, which carry many serious animal welfare consequences.