The process of catching and loading broilers and laying hens for transport to slaughter is one of the highest-risk welfare events in poultry production.
Poultry catching represents a welfare flashpoint where the cumulative handling stress of an entire lifetime is concentrated into a brief, chaotic period. Inverted carrying causes pain and physiological stress in birds already compromised by fast growth and extended production periods. Injuries occurring during catching cause suffering that is brief only if slaughter follows quickly. Automated catching systems show variable welfare outcomes depending on machine speed and operator competence. Training, monitoring and incentivising careful handling reduces catching injuries significantly at manageable cost.