Poultry lairage — the holding period before slaughter — causes significant thermal stress, dehydration and fear that are often inadequately managed across the industry.
Poultry lairage is the final welfare-critical period before slaughter, and its management quality varies enormously. Chickens in well-ventilated, thermally appropriate lairage with minimal waiting time show lower stress markers at slaughter — producing both better welfare outcomes and better meat quality. Chickens in overcrowded, overheated lairage on hot summer days experience acute thermal stress and dehydration, with mortality rates that indicate serious welfare failure. The alignment between welfare quality and product quality creates economic incentives for improvement that progressive processors have exploited — making welfare investment in lairage design commercially self-justifying.