Our Animal Wellbeing Standards

As the nation’s largest chicken chain, we take the treatment of animals very seriously. In fact, we have a well-defined set of Animal Wellbeing Standards in place, which serve as rules of engagement for all of our chicken suppliers. We partner only with suppliers across the US who commit to meet or exceed our standards of farm animal welfare. 

Chick-fil-A requires our chicken suppliers to meet the following animal wellbeing standards:

• Hatched, raised and harvested domestically in the US

• Climate-controlled barns, where chickens are cage-free and free to roam
  • Temperature, ventilation and lighting controlled
  • Protected from adverse weather and predators
  • Full access to feed and water

• Raised with proper nutrition

• Minimizing stress prior to harvest

As of May 2019, all Chick-fil-A chicken suppliers will be required to source chicken raised with No Antibiotics Ever – this means that our suppliers use NO antibiotics of any kind – as defined by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – starting from the egg.

We also source smaller breeds of chickens, which are typically not subject to the same health conditions that have been associated with larger birds.

All Chick-fil-A chicken suppliers are required to abide by these standards and are subject to verification by Chick-fil-A as well as regular, third-party audits to ensure our standards are met.

Chick-fil-A also maintains an Animal Wellbeing Council that includes outside experts – including academicians, scientists, and a veterinarian – whom we engage to provide feedback on our policies and practices, so we can work to ensure our standards continue to be consistent with or exceed industry standards and best practices.

Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive of our supplier requirements but is intended as an overview of our standards for our guests. We are constantly evaluating our policies and seeking to ensure our policy best reflects what is best both for our guests and animal wellbeing.