Slaughter is the final and potentially most significant welfare event in a broiler chicken life. The methods used — stunning, shackling, and slaughter — profoundly affect the suffering chickens experience at the end of their lives.
Slaughter welfare is a critical but often overlooked component of poultry welfare. Shackling of live birds — hanging them by their legs on a moving line — causes pain and stress before stunning occurs. Electrical water bath stunning effectiveness depends on precise current and frequency settings that vary with bird size and condition. Birds that miss the stun or receive inadequate exposure may enter the neck cutting phase conscious. Controlled atmosphere stunning, where birds are exposed to high-CO2 or inert gas mixtures before any handling, eliminates conscious shackling and produces more consistent stunning. CCTV monitoring at critical control points — shackling, stunning, and neck cutting — improves compliance with welfare standards. Slaughter welfare improvements are achievable and should be a priority for welfare-conscious supply chains.