Catching and Handling Broilers at Slaughter: Welfare

The catching and loading of broilers for transport to slaughter is one of the highest welfare risk events of their lives, with significant potential for injury and acute stress.

Key Facts

Mechanical harvesting machines are increasingly used and can reduce stress if well managed
Manual catching by upright carrying causes fewer injuries than multi-bird inversion
Wing fractures, bruising, and dislocations are common during poorly executed catching
Night catching in dim light reduces bird activity and stress during the procedure
Catching injuries affect meat quality as well as bird welfare creating aligned incentives

Welfare Considerations

Broilers caught by untrained personnel using inversion methods experience acute pain from joint injuries and stress from inverted confinement. The brief period of catching and loading is responsible for a significant proportion of total broiler welfare harm. Training catching crews, using appropriate restraint methods, and monitoring injury rates creates accountability for catching welfare. Mechanical harvesting with appropriate management achieves better welfare outcomes at scale than manual catching.

What You Can Do

Support welfare certification requiring catching method standards and injury monitoring
Choose chicken from producers with documented catching welfare protocols
Advocate for catching crew training requirements in poultry welfare legislation
Support research into optimal mechanical harvesting systems for broiler welfare
Encourage supply chains to audit catching and loading practices as part of welfare assessment