Livestock

Poultry Welfare During Catching and Loading

The catching and loading of broiler chickens for transport to slaughter is one of the highest-risk welfare events in the production cycle, causing injury, stress and mortality at rates significantly above welfare best practice.

Key Facts

Mortality during catching and transport ranges from 0.1% to over 0.5% in conventional broiler systems
Wing and leg fractures are common during manual catching of fast-growth broiler breeds
Mechanical catching machines reduce acute injury rates compared to manual night-catching
Catching in darkness or under low blue light reduces flight responses and handling stress

Welfare Considerations

Catching welfare is affected by broiler breed mobility, housing conditions at depopulation, catching crew training and the use of mechanical versus manual methods. Heavy fast-growth birds with poor leg strength are particularly vulnerable to fractures during manual catching. Night catching in red or blue light significantly reduces stress responses and injury rates.

What You Can Do

Support broiler welfare standards requiring mechanical catching or blue-light manual catching
Choose chicken from producers demonstrating low catching mortality and injury rates
Advocate for mandatory reporting of catching and transport mortality as welfare indicators
Support transition to slower-growth breeds that experience fewer mobility-related catching injuries