There is no doubt in my mind that many of the unfortunate, excessive, losses of meat chickens reported on this forum are for the most part due to husbandry practices not suitable for the bird. Statements like "they die for no reason" are often an indication that someone is not familiar with the unique requirements of these high performance birds.
At our broiler farm we average a loss of 4.2% of the birds received when marketed at 41 days of age. The chicks we get are not transported very far but do have the disadvantage of not being sorted for quality as closely as chicks for retail sales. Unless the weather is unusually hot no more than 0.7% are lost in the last week. The average live weight per bird (as hatched) is 5.5lbs after 9 hours without feed. Dwarfs, birds with slipped leg tendons, etc. are considered mortality.
That weight is used to compute a 1.82 feed conversion ratio.
We get birds for three consecutive days. We have not had a flock in two years that required medication other than coccidiastats. They receive vaccinations. In those two years we used no feed additives that violate the Commonwealths regulations for being termed "medicine free".
The purpose of modern meat chickens (and turkeys) is to be consumed by humans. No ethics are being violated if the birds grow at a rate comensurate with the genetic potential and without waste of inputs resulting in a wholesome food product.
some see things with the eyes of a hobbyist with little regard of $$$ return on investment.
