Consumer willingness to pay for chicken welfare attributes in Kenya

This study provides new insights on consumer preferences for chicken welfare attributes in a developing country context. Further, the inclusion of chicken transportation methods as an attribute is a useful contribution to empirical literature. Choice experiment survey data from 200 chicken consumers in Kenya were analyzed using random parameter logit model. Consumers had a positive preference for use of certified transportation, humanely slaughtered chicken and welfare labeling. However, there was a negative preference for using antibiotics in chicken production. Relative to the current price of chicken meat, consumers were willing to pay a premium of 30% for use of certified transport, 72% for animal welfare labeling, 135% for humane slaughter, 236% for nonuse of growth hormones and 40% less for chicken reared in confined systems.