Poultry Welfare

Poultry Transport: Welfare During Livebird Movements

Transporting chickens and turkeys to slaughter is a significant welfare challenge involving catching, crating, loading, and journey stress.

Key Facts

Poultry transport typically involves catching birds by hand at night
Up to 1% of broilers are dead on arrival at slaughterhouses in some operations
Thermal stress during transport kills significant numbers of birds each year
Journey times can legally exceed 8 hours in many countries
Chickens cannot be given water during transport under current regulations

Welfare Considerations

The transport phase represents one of the most acutely stressful experiences for farm poultry. Catching injuries, overcrowding in crates, temperature extremes, and motion sickness all contribute to suffering. Mechanical catching systems, water provision, and shorter journey times with better monitoring would significantly reduce welfare harms.

What You Can Do

Choose poultry from farms with shorter supply chains and local processing
Support campaigns for mandatory water access during poultry transport
Ask food companies about their transport welfare policies
Reduce poultry consumption or switch to plant-based alternatives