Farm Animals

Farmed Poultry Catching Welfare Improvements

Mechanical and improved manual catching systems for poultry at the end of production can reduce the injury rate and welfare costs of the catching process compared to traditional methods.

Key Facts

Manual catching involves grabbing birds by one leg and carrying them upside down in groups
Mechanical catchers with rotating rubber fingers reduce some injuries but cause different stress responses
Dimming lights and avoiding disturbing the flock before catching reduces panic and injury rate
CCTV monitoring of catching operations reduces welfare violations significantly where implemented

Welfare Considerations

The catching process is one of the highest-risk welfare events in poultry production due to the acute fear, pain and injury it causes in birds already compromised by production conditions. Poorly trained catchers cause significantly more injuries than skilled operatives. Reduced light, calm handling and appropriate catching technique are all within the control of farm management and can substantially reduce welfare costs without capital investment.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory catching team training requirements in poultry welfare certification
Advocate for CCTV coverage of all catching operations with independent monitoring
Choose poultry from producers with documented catching welfare standards
Back research into low-stress catching system design for different poultry species and production systems