Work

Factors Affecting Flock Uniformity in Broiler Production: Individual, Environmental, and Management Characteristics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Flock uniformity is a critical factor influencing productivity, production efficiency, animal welfare, and overall economic outcomes in broiler production. Despite its importance, uniformity is often overlooked in commercial settings, where production goals typically focus on maximizing average BW and overall flock performance rather than minimizing variation among individual birds. This review aims to summarize the diverse factors that affect flock uniformity in broilers. Under standard conditions between days 14 and 49, flock uniformity typically reaches approximately 90%. Both intrinsic factors, such as genetics, initial BW, age, sex, and rearing method, and extrinsic factors, including housing, management, and vaccination practices, have been shown to influence uniformity. Environmental and management challenges, such as heat stress, nutrient deficiencies, microbial infections, high stocking density, feed form, and mixed-sex rearing, can further reduce uniformity by 2.5-15%. These findings highlight the high sensitivity of flock uniformity to multiple stressors, which may interact rather than act independently. Moreover, these findings highlight the need to consider both baseline and challenging factors in broiler production and support the development of targeted management and environmental strategies to improve flock uniformity and enhance overall production efficiency.

Source: Animals

DOI: 10.3390/ani16020185

Authors: Janghan Choi, Doyun Goo, Hanseo Ko, Jihwan Lee, Woo Kyun Kim

Institutions: Texas Tech University, University of Georgia, Jeonbuk National University

Language: English

Topic: Animal Nutrition and Physiology

Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896